Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack & Rose
by PrincessBellePrinceAdam
Summary: [Operation Overdrive] Ars Amatoria Ranger Romance Themes Challenge for the red and pink Overdrive rangers.
1. Youth

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose **

Disclaimer: Oh, yeah right. I so own Power Rangers…not.

Challenge: Youth

Timeframe: Post The Underwater World.

Summary: In which Rose thinks about Mack's personality.

She didn't understand. He seemed to be two completely different people at the same time. It was odd and intriguing simultaneously.

One side of him was the brave leader, constantly at the ready to spring into action and save the world. He had volunteered himself to take on the task of being a ranger and Rose couldn't think of many people born into the world of privilege who would risk their lives the way Mack did, and she respected him for it.

Then there was the way he could be so immature. He was rambunctious, full of energy and always up for a challenge. And he was obsessed with those graphic novels and adventure stories, inhaling them as fast as he could buy them. But he could always make her laugh with his jokes (bad as they were) and he was so incredibly sweet. There was just a youthful quality about Mack, and Rose was thankful for it. He really was the heart and soul of their team, and she didn't want him to ever change.


	2. Color

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose **

Disclaimer: Oh, yeah right. I so own Power Rangers…not.

Challenge: Color

Timeframe: Post Pirate in Pink

Summary: In which Mack has a theory.

Mack sighed as he swerved the rolling chair from side to side. Rose looked up from her precious pink jewel long enough to glare at her red ranger. "Would you stop acting so childishly, Mack?" she snapped.

He pretended to look hurt. "I am not acting childish, Rose. I am merely bored out of my skull sitting down here. There are only so many times you can watch someone polish a jewel before it gets old."

"Then go back upstairs," retorted Rose.

Mack's bright blue eyes widened incredulously. "You want me to go back upstairs? With all of those crazy people my dad stupidly chose as our teammates? You want me to subject myself to that utter nonsense? What kind of friend are you, Rosie the Bold?"

He was teasing, of course, and Rose knew it. That didn't stop her from leaning over in her chair and hitting the back of his head. "Either go play with the crazy people or be quiet before I am forced to hurt you severely."

Mack frowned. "Ah, but you already are," he dramatically sighed. "If only you knew how much you're hurting me by just sitting there playing with a piece of pink plastic."

"It's not my fault you're jealous of twenty percent of our mission. Didn't your dad ever play attention to you when you were a kid? Didn't he teach you to share?"

"So you are capable of smiling. That _is_ a shocker."

He swerved over to one of the base's computer and randomly pulled up a file. He read it for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"What is so funny, Mackenzie?"

Mack was so amused by the file's information that he didn't mind Rose's use of his full name. "I just figured out why my dad really wanted to be the red ranger."

"Because he wanted to take responsibility for awakening two evil villains hell bent on seizing the Corona Aurora and then the world?" Rose asked, her tone uninterested.

Mack shook his head. "Look at this." He pulled Rose's chair over in front of the screen. "Just read it."

Rose's brown eyes skimmed over the page. "This is just a list of old rangers, Mack. Big deal. Where did he get this, anyway?"

Mack shrugged. "I don't think you're getting the point, Rose. Look at all these former rangers who have all ended up married. The majority of them were all red and pink rangers at one point." He smiled smugly at his pink ranger.

"And you think this is why your father wanted to be red ranger." Mack nodded proudly.

"Too bad for him I got his Tracker. Rose Hartford has a very nice ring to it. Can our first born be Mack Jr.?"

Rose hit the back of Mack's head once more.


	3. Distraction

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose **

Disclaimer: Oh get over yourself.

Challenge: Distraction

Timeframe: Post The Underwater World.

Summary: In which Rose attempts to write a poem.

She'd been trying to write a poem, but she was drawing a major blank. She couldn't think of anything at all to write. Rose Ortiz hated it when she had writer's block. She glared at her empty paper, the light blue lines blurring together.

There was only one thing Rose Ortiz could do when she found it impossible to write. She sighed and uncapped her favorite pen, jotting down the first words that came to mind: _leader, red, blue, eyes, courage, immature, gorgeous, smile, adventure._

She reread her list after a moment. Then a second time, and a third. Her brown eyes stared in utter horror at the words she had written. These were all words describing Mack. Oh. God. What had she been _thinking_?

But then, he _was_ sitting right across from her, she reasoned. Surely that was a logical enough explanation of the words she had chosen. All she had to do now was destroy the evidence that she had, in fact, been staring at her red leader intently. There was no reason she had to let anyone else know that she very definitely had a crush on Mack Hartford.

She looked up, only to see that he had put aside his adventure novel and was looking back at her, his expression curious. "Why do you look like you've just had a heart attack? I'm sure whatever you wrote isn't bad, Rose." He smiled, trying to look reassuring.

"I was doing a writing exercise with a list of words. I don't necessarily think it's bad. I'm just a little surprised at the laundry list I came up with."

"Then why did you look like you wanted to burn the paper?"

"I already explained that to you. I'm surprised."

Before Rose knew what was really going on, Mack had moved from the couch opposite hers and seated himself next to her. "I want to read these so called surprising words." And with that, he gently tugged the notebook out of Rose's hands.

"You were staring at me, weren't you?" he concluded a moment later, smirking in a knowing sort of way at his pink ranger. "How utterly adorable."

"You're a distraction for me, Mack," Rose admitted in an icy tone. "I mean, I have writer's block, which I hate more than Moltor and Flurious combined, and I'm trying to rid myself of it and you're just sitting there…"

'_Looking so completely gorgeous,' _she added silently.

"Can't keep your eyes off of me, can you Rosie?" he asked smugly.

Rose snatched her notebook back. "Shut up, Mackenzie," she told him as she stormed out of the den. "I'm going somewhere where I can concentrate on my writing." Mack grinned to the empty room.

"Oh yeah. She has it bad."


	4. Green Eyed Monster

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose **

Disclaimer: Oh get over yourself.

Challenge: Green Eyed Monster

Timeframe: Post At All Cost

Summary: In which Ronny needs to leave the country for fear of Rose's wrath.

All through the movie and the burgers, Rose couldn't concentrate on anything but the fact that Mack was still back at the manor, locked into a game of foosball with Ronny.

But she wasn't jealous. No she wasn't. Not jealous of the way Mack had been grinning at his yellow counterpart as the two competed, not jealous of the fact that Ronny was all alone with Rose's Mack.

Did she really think of Mack as hers? Mack, who was easily the sweetest (and most attractive, at that) guy that Rose knew; Mack the courageous leader who always tried to make everyone feel a little better at the end of the day; Mack with all his charm…did Rose really regard him as hers? Yes, yes she did.

"Rose?" asked Dax, sounding like he'd been trying to gain her attention for some time. "Did you hear what I asked you? What was your favorite part of the movie?"

The truth was that Rose hadn't paid any attention to the movie after the hero, Matt, had been stolen from Violet by Bonnie. It was too eerily similar to what she was afraid of: never telling Mack that she felt more than friendship for him and letting Ronny take him.

"I didn't have one," Rose mumbled into her soda cup. This earned a chuckle from Will.

"Looks like someone wants to get home to her man," teased the black ranger. "Come on Dax; if we're lucky she and Ronny will have a cat fight."

"I am not going to have a cat fight with Ronny, Will," snapped Rose angrily. "So quit dreaming."

"Notice that she doesn't deny Mack being her man," retorted Will. Dax nodded his head vigorously.

"Can we just go?" questioned Rose loudly to drown out the sound of Will's laughter. "And shut up about Mack, alright?"

"As you wish, Mrs. Hartford," put in Dax. Rose glared at them. Dax and Will snickered. "She has quite the temper, doesn't she Will?" probed the blue ranger. Rose looked livid.

"If she's always going to be like this when Mack is with another girl then we may have to put Ronny in the witness protection program or something, just for her own good," said Will.

"I'm not jealous," insisted Rose, stomping out of the restaurant and leaving Dax and Will with the bill. "I'm not jealous."

She repeated this to herself all the way back to the Hartford mansion.

"Hey Mack," said Will when the red ranger's elation of winning the foosball game had died down, "You're gonna have to stop hanging out with Ronny on a one on one basis. Rose is about ready to kill her, she's so jealous."

"I am not!" cried Rose as Mack pushed Will out of the room. The red ranger stared at her.

"Ronny's not my girlfriend, you know. We're just friends. There's no need to be worried, Rose."

"I'm not worried, nor am I jealous," she said as she stomped from the lounge.

Deny everything.


	5. Dream

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose **

Disclaimer: Nope, sorry.

Challenge: Dream

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick Into Overdrive.

Summary: In which Rose has a nightmare.

Rose Ortiz woke with a start, her heart pounding in her chest at what felt like twice its normal speed. Her breathing ragged, she looked around at the contents of her bedroom in the Hartford estate. Aided by the soft orange tint of the nightlight she kept out of habit, Rose's deep brown gaze locked on the three pink walls and the huge white bookcase that took up the fourth wall of the room.

"Just a dream, Rose. Relax," she said to herself soothingly. "It didn't really happen. He's fine; he's safe in his bed."

But it was pointless to try and coax herself back to sleep until she'd seen with her own eyes that Mack was really unharmed and sleeping in his room down the hall.

The white door to Mack's room creaked as she eased it open. She found herself breathing a sigh of relief when she saw that Mack was indeed fast asleep, the lamp still on and a graphic novel clutched in his hand. Tiptoeing inside, Rose took the book and put it on the nightstand. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, whether in a dream or reality. Understand?" she murmured softly.

Rose perched herself on the edge of the bed, unable to take her eyes off of him, try as she might. God he was gorgeous. So much better in real life than in the dream she'd just woken from in which he'd been dy…no, she had to stop thinking about that.

Mack stirred slightly, and then his eyes opened. "Rose?" he asked groggily. He rubbed sleep from his eyes and propped himself up against his pillows. "Not that I mind you being here, but" he checked his clock, "It's almost two in the morning. Something I can help you with?"

Rose, embarrassed that she'd woken him, flushed. "I'm so sorry, Mack. I didn't mean to wake you up. I'll just go now. See you later."

"Wait a sec, Rose. You can't just wake someone up and then not explain what you were doing there. What's going on?" He straightened himself up, looking at her face for some clue as to what she was doing.

He wasn't expecting Rose to fling herself at him and throw her arms around his neck. That was the last thing on earth the normal Rose would do, and Mack knew that she had to be extremely upset. Hesitantly, he hugged her back, and there was no indication of objection from his pink ranger.

"I needed to know that you were OK," she whispered. "I knew it was just a dream but I really needed to see it with my own eyes. She clung to him like a lifeline.

"What happened in your dream, Rose?" he probed quietly. Very gently he rubbed small circles on her back, comforting her. "You can tell me."

Rose spoke into his chest. "You were dying," she told him simply. "And I couldn't do anything to help you. There was so much blood, Mack. I was terrified."

"I bet you were." Mack held her tighter. "It's OK baby," he murmured. "It's OK."

Rose didn't even mind the term of affection he'd just used. She was still too relieved just knowing that her dream was just that: a dream, and that Mack was safe. And that she was being held in his arms, where she was protected and cared for.


	6. Confidence

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose **

Disclaimer: Nope, sorry.

Challenge: Confidence

Timeframe: Post Weather or Not

Summary: In which Rose thinks about Mack's lack of confidence in himself.

She hated that he had doubted himself. Rose was of the opinion that Andrew, while meaning well and good intentioned, had sheltered Mack for far too long as it was, and due to this protection, Mack had never had the opportunity to build up a lot of confidence in himself anyway.

Being a ranger had changed that. Rose knew it. She'd seen Mack's belief in himself grow as the rangers managed to keep Moltor and Flurious from stealing the jewels of the Corona Aurora. And Mack, as their leader, was proud of his team and of himself.

The near death of the delivery man had changed that drastically. Mack's confidence had dwindled drastically, and it almost pained Rose to watch her friend like this. But she knew he would save them, and save her. She believed in him and his abilities, which was why she'd spoke up about not worrying and that Mack would find a way to save them.

And then, like Rose knew he would, Mack came to the rescue, her knight in shining red armor, though she'd never admit that to the others. His belief in himself returned and it was stronger than ever. Rose decided that the confident Mack was the one she needed to keep her sane.

The moping one would have to be kept at bay, she thought as she watched him read his book, the usual grin on his face. Because now that he'd truly proven himself, he had something to be confident about.


	7. Friends

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose **

Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers Operation Overdrive. Don't try to buy them from me.

Challenge: Friends

Timeframe: During Both Sides Now.

Summary: In which Rose and Mack discuss Will and friendship.

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye as he drove the Jeep, his mind still on Will supposedly leaving the team and taking his Tracker. Rose was staring out at the scenery, mostly cityscape, but she didn't seem particularly interested in it. Her mind was still on Will, too.

"I never expect him to do anything like this," Rose said quietly, and there was a hiss of venom in her voice. "Did you see how crushed Ronny looked when your father told us Will took the Tracker?"

"I did," Mack replied. "And I thought he was our friend, I really did."

"We all did," Rose murmured, and she turned her deep brown gaze on him now. "I thought all of you were my friends. I honestly can't believe Will would do this."

"I'm your friend."

"Oh Mack, I know you are. It's just a bit of a shock. It's like he didn't actually betray us because he was asked to leave, but he did betray us by taking his Tracker."

The red ranger nodded. "I know exactly what you mean, Rose. This whole thing just sucks, doesn't it?"

Rose released a sigh, propping up her chin with one hand. "Indeed," she agreed. She looked out at the city again, and Mack stopped watching her with his peripheral vision.

"I'll always be your friend. I promise," he continued.

"I know." And then she spotted Will and Miratrix.

"Time to take care of business," stated Mack grimly. And barely stopping the Jeep the red and pink rangers hopped out, off to fight one of their own.


	8. Reaction

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose **

Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers Operation Overdrive. Don't try to buy them from me.

Challenge: Reaction

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick Into Overdrive. Sequel to Dream.

Summary: In which Will jumps to conclusions about seeing Rose come out of Mack's room.

Mack kept Rose in his arms, reassuring her, for nearly half an hour. Finally she pulled away and smiled a tiny smile at her red ranger.

"Thank you, Mack," she said softly. "I'm sorry I woke you up. I honestly didn't mean to. I feel so bad about doing it."

Mack shook his head. "Don't be sorry. I would have done the same thing you did. Not a problem."

Rose bobbed her head. "Alright then. I'll see you later." She started to get up.

But she was still a little shaken, Mack could see it in her eyes. So he took her hand and tugged it gently, pulling her back to the bed. "You don't have to leave if you don't want to. I know you're scared, Rose."

"Thank you, Mack," Rose said for the second time. She pointed to the book she'd found in his hands. "What's that about, anyway? All that anime stuff."

Mack found it cute that she was asking about one of his interests. "This series is about demons. It's really good, a lot of action and the plots are full of turns you wouldn't see coming. Or at least, that I don't see coming."

"Do you believe in that stuff? Demons and ghosts and vampires?" Rose asked, crossing her legs and making herself comfortable.

"Definitely. But you're one of those people who have to have a logical reason for everything, aren't you?" His tone was light and even amused, but Rose knew he really wanted an answer to his question.

"Yeah, I think everything has a logical explanation. A scientific reasoning, if you will."

"That's good though, that there are you by the book scientific types, to balance all us believers out and keep the world in order. And it's also a good thing that even though we're so different we can still be close friends."

Rose agreed to this statement, secretly a little…giddy…that Mack had said they were definitely friends and not just teammates. To keep herself from blushing at her red ranger's words, the pink ranger changed the subject.

--

Mack walked into the dining room the next morning to see that only Will sat at the table. "Hey Will," he greeted casually as he folded himself onto a chair and reached for the platter of pancakes.

"Is that all you can say? Just 'Hey Will?'" questioned Will.

Mack stared. "Sorry?"

Will smirked. "Nothing you want to tell me? About what you did last night? Hmm?"

"I fell asleep reading. No big deal."

"I saw Rose come out of your room this morning, looking happier than anyone in this house has ever seen her." He leaned back in his chair. "So you and Miss Pretty in Pink ranger."

"She had a nightmare. She was scared. We talked. Nothing happened."

"You can tell _me_ the truth, you know."

"I am telling the truth."

Will didn't look convinced. "Are you sure? A pretty girl seeking comfort in the red ranger's big strong arms, where she'll always be safe? And now he's saying nothing happened between the two of them?"

Mack looked insulted. "Rose and I didn't do anything but talk, Will. I don't care if you don't believe me, but that's the truth." He thought for a moment. "And Rose is beautiful, not just pretty."

"So at least you admit you wanted something to happen," muttered Will.

"Shut up," said Mack as Rose joined the two. "Hey Rose."

Rose shot him a smile (however small) and took a seat next to Mack.

Will smirked again. Even if they didn't admit it, those two definitely had something going on.


	9. Secrets

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose **

Disclaimer: I do not pretend to own Power Rangers.

Challenge: Secrets

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick Into Overdrive

Summary: In which Mack tells Rose a secret.

It was raining at the Hartford estate. Ronny and Will were playing a video game, and Dax was watching a movie. Mack was nowhere to be found, and Rose, having nothing better to do, set off to search for him.

The door to his room was open and Rose wandered inside, wondering where he could possibly be. Looking out of the huge bay window that gave a view of the front of the mansion, Rose noticed a lone figure out on the front lawn. _'Mack,'_ she thought, a smile escaping before she realized what she was doing.

He wasn't wearing a jacket, and he wasn't holding an umbrella. He was simply standing in the rain, letting it soak through his shirt. Rose shook her head and went to her own room to bundle herself into a raincoat.

"Mack," she called as she reached the edge of the lawn, a huge black umbrella over her head, "Come inside. You'll catch your death out here."

Mack shook his head and crossed the grounds to her. He tugged the umbrella from her hands and closed it, ignoring her squawks of protest. "Stop. Just let it be, Rose. Let it be." And he took her hand in his and pulled her over by the pond in the front of the manor.

"We're both going to catch pneumonia."

"No we're not," he replied, still not letting go of her hand. "It's a warm rain. You'll live, I promise you."

"What are you doing out here, anyway?" demanded Rose. "What is so great about rain that you don't mind getting sick from standing in it without bothering with a jacket or an umbrella?"

"My mom," he told her softly. "She died in a car accident when I was four. It was raining when it happened. This makes me feel close to her."

Rose's expression softened. "Oh Mack," she said quietly. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"I know you didn't. There's no way you could have known. Don't be sorry." Mack tilted his head back, letting the rain drench him.

Rose thought for a moment, deciding to tell him her own secret. "I don't have my mother either," she confessed. "I miss her."

"I miss mine, too."

Then Spencer appeared at the door. "Honestly, Mack, I thought we agreed you were not to stand out in the rain like this. One day you will catch your death out here, and then your father _will_ have to be the red ranger, a sight no one wants to see."

"Sorry Spencer," mumbled Mack, allowing Rose to reopen the umbrella and tug him inside the manor. "Bye Mom," he added so that only his pink ranger heard.

"Stay here," instructed Spencer. "I will bring you some towels." And the butler strode off, muttering once again about his paycheck.

"Hey Rose," Mack said quietly, "I've never told anyone about how the rain makes me feel close to my mom. Can we keep it our secret? Just between friends?"

Rose nodded. "Of course I'll keep your secret."

Spencer came back with two towels. "Dry off," he said pointlessly. "Miss Rose, I thought you had more sense." He walked off.

"Look, Rose, I really appreciate it. Thanks for keeping my secret."


	10. Gift

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: I do not pretend to own Power Rangers.

Challenge: Gift

Timeframe: Somewhere after Pirate in Pink

Summary: In which Rose gives Mack a present and he returns it in a way she didn't expect.

Mack Hartford lay sprawled on his bed, doodling absently on a scrap of paper with his favorite red pen. He removed the pen from the paper and drummed it on the footboard, thinking about what to scrawl next. His mind wandered (as it often did these days) to his pink ranger, and the next thing he knew was that he'd written RO, tracing the letters over and over again.

"Knock, knock," came her voice from the other side of his door, and Mack jumped. He hastily shoved the piece of paper between the mattress and the footboard and straightened himself up.

"Come in," he called, leaning back against the wall. And then Rose entered, a green Barnes & Noble bag in one hand.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked, an almost shy quality to her tone. She tucked a section of straight black hair behind her ear, searching his face for an answer.

"Course," said Mack, patting a spot on the mattress next to him. Rose crossed the room to his bed and perched on the edge of his. She handed the bag to him.

"For you."

Mack was confused. "All right," he said slowly, opening the bookstore bag and sticking his hand inside. He found two books and took them out, finding that they were, in fact, manga. "What's this for, Rose? It's not my birthday or anything."

Rose shrugged. "I was at the store and I remembered you liked these. And you've just been so nice to me, Mack, trying to make me feel better about the whole Brownbeard thing…"

Mack frowned. "The Brownbeard thing turned out fine. We got the jewel for the crown. So what's really going on?"

Rose flushed. "Can't I just do something nice for my friends from time to time? I don't always like being the cold know-it-all." There was a tinge of anger in her voice. Mack grinned.

"All right, I'm sorry. Really I am." He looked down at the two graphic novels, examining the covers, the grin on his face reminiscent of a child opening his presents on Christmas morning.

"The guy at the store said it was a new series. I thought you probably didn't have them."

"I don't. Thanks Rose. Really. You shouldn't have done this." Mack thought for a moment. "Now I have to give you something, too."

Rose started to protest, but before she could utter a complete sentence, Mack rearranged himself on his bed, wrapping one arm around Rose's waist and pressing his lips to hers softly.

"Does that cover it?"


	11. Album

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: Nope. I am not Saban/Disney.

Challenge: Album

Timeframe: Post Pirate in Pink.

Summary: In which Mack explains where his father went.

Mack accompanied her down to the base to lock away the pink jewel. As she wrapped it up in a piece of velvet and stuck it into the safe, something hit her.

"Mack, where's your father?"

Mack, who had been grinning as he watched Rose lovingly put the jewel away, suddenly frowned. "He likes to be alone on this day. See, he misses her and it's easier for him to be alone."

Rose looked confused. "Who does he miss so much?"

"My mom," Mack answered softly. "Today is her birthday. He went to go…pay her a visit, you might say." There was a sadness in his blue eyes that Rose hadn't seen there before, and she found herself wanting to find a way to bring some comfort to her red ranger.

"Oh," she replied, moving closer to him and putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Mack. Maybe I shouldn't have asked."

Mack shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Rosie. I don't even remember her, not really. It's just that my dad will come home all depressed and I don't really have anything to say to make him feel better…"

"That's sweet, though, that you would at least try." Rose thought for a moment. "Do you have pictures?"

He nodded. "Tons. I could show you, if you wanted to see them…" And Rose saw a glimmer of hope in his eyes, hope that maybe he'd be able to shed a little of his own sadness onto someone sp he could still be strong for his dad.

"I'd like that," she answered softly, and then Mack removed her hand from his shoulder and held it, tugging her along after him up the stairs into the main house.

He led her into his bedroom and motioned for her to sit down. She plopped down onto the red bed and watched as he shuffled through his desk drawers and found what he was looking for: a white photo album. "Here," he announced as he joined her. He pointed to a picture on the first page, and Rose peered at the photo, interested.

It was a much younger Andrew Hartford and a pretty young woman in a white dress. She was kissing him on the cheek and smearing a piece of cake all over him at the same time. Both were smiling the way actors in a toothpaste commercial did.

"Their wedding day?" Rose asked after a moment of studying the photograph. Mack bobbed his head.

"Yeah. And they were so young when they got married, not much older than us. She was only twenty-six when she died."

"She was pretty, Mack," Rose said quietly. "You have her eyes." Rose scooted a bit closer to him. She wanted to hold him close and try to let him know that she was there for him whenever he needed her but she wasn't sure if now was exactly the right time to do so.

"He misses her more than he lets on. And I know it has to be hard for him to let me go off on all the missions and wonder if I'll even come home. He doesn't want to have to miss me, too, I guess."

"Oh Mack," Rose sighed, leaning against her red ranger. "You'll be fine."

Mack turned the page to another picture of his mother. This one showed her a few years older than the wedding one. She looked exhausted, and tucked into the crook of her arms was baby Mack, only a few hours old.

"Aw. How sweet," Rose cooed. Mack managed a smile, and then he shut the photo album and slipped his arms around Rose, resting his head atop hers. She returned the embrace, secretly pleased that she was the one he shared what memories of his mother he had.


	12. Fight

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: Nope. I am not Saban/Disney.

Challenge: Fight

Timeframe: During Both Sides Now

Summary: She fights by his side, and he loves it.

She fought by his side, kicking and punching the monster with an intense passion. He knew that Rose was the kind of person who worked hard for what she wanted, and seeing her in action like that, fighting fiercely, it just made him want her all the more.

Not that he wouldn't mind having to rescue her, he thought as he fought the monster with her. A voice in his head that sounded eerily like his father's was telling him to get back to work, but Mack ignored it. He was busy reflecting on his Rose and how he loved that she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty and get into the fight.

Take that, Xena the Warrior Princess.


	13. Dare

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: Since you don't believe me, I have decided to let Mack do the disclaimer.

**Mack**: Overdrive Red does not own Operation Overdrive, but she does have great taste in pennames, if you ask me. Can I please go flirt with Rose now?

Challenge: Dare

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick Into Overdrive

Summary: Dax and Will dare Mack to show some affection.

Dax groaned loudly as he tried to snap Mack back to reality. "Oh come on, Mack. Take your turn already, would you?" he asked, waving his hand in front of the red ranger's face. Mack was still staring longingly at Rose when Will dropped his video game controller and walked over to his teammates. He snickered at Mack's expression.

"No use trying, Dax," said Will. "He's a lost cause."

Mack frowned at the black ranger. "It's not my fault, Will. She's just so… I don't know." He leaned on his pool cue, still gazing at his pink ranger, who had her pretty face buried in her book and headphones in her ears, oblivious to the three boys on the other side of the room. "Beautiful doesn't begin to describe her."

"Oh boo hoo," retorted Will. "If you like her so much, why don't you just go over and tell her?" Mack rolled his eyes.

"Go flirt with Ronny."

"She's not home," replied Will without skipping a beat. "And stop trying to change the subject, Hartford. Seriously, why don't you go talk to her if you think he's so pretty?"

"You want to know why, Will? Because I feel like a total and complete idiot whenever I'm around her. I don't know what to say and I get nervous and my pulse rate doubles…"

Will shook his head and held up a hand. "All right Mack, that's enough. We don't want to know all of the gory details. If you can't tell her, why don't you just _show_ her?"

Mack's jaw dropped. "What, like kiss her?" Will nodded.

"Now you get it. That's exactly what you should do."

"I couldn't do that. She'd hate me. See this is a one-sided crush, Will. Rose doesn't like me as anything but a friend. And I'm not going to ruin that by kissing her."

Dax smiled slyly. "We dare you tom Mack. Now you have to, or you'll be chicken. And once you're chicken, you'll never be able to live it down." Will cackled.

"I never thought I'd say this, Dax, but you're a genius. Yeah, Mack, we dare you to go kiss her." The black ranger folded his arms and began flapping them around as Dax made chicken noises.

"Fine, fine," grumbled Mack. He let the pool cue drop to the floor and strode across the game room to the couch in the corner. Rose looked up as he sat himself next to her. She removed her headphones.

"Something I can help you with?"

Mack nodded and leaned in closer to her. "See, Dax and Will kinda dared me to do something," he whispered conspiratorially. Rose turned her head sp that she was looking into his too-blue eyes.

"Oh, and what's that?"

"This," said Mack, and he kissed her. He pulled away a moment later. "You know, Rose, I kinda like dares."


	14. Helm

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: Since you don't believe me, I have decided to let Mack do the disclaimer.

**Mack**: Overdrive Red does not own Operation Overdrive, but she does have great taste in pennames, if you ask me. Can I please go flirt with Rose now?

Challenge: Helm

Timeframe: During Pirate in Pink

Summary: He always came galloping to her rescue, hands on the helm of his zord.

The structure came crashing down, and Rose didn't know what to do. Her zord wasn't going to be able to handle the weight of it, and down on the ground, Brownbeard the pirate was running out of time rapidly. Rose felt panic strike at her heart as her logical mind tried to formulate a plan.

But she didn't have to think of a plan. Mack appeared out of nowhere and caught the structure, and by doing so he saved Brownbeard and the day in general. "Mack!" cried Rose.

"I got it!" he called back in a reassuring tone. She couldn't see his face but she was certain that if she had Mack would have been smiling the silly grin that secretly endeared him to her.

He always came galloping to her rescue, hands on the helm of his zord, catching her (and buildings) before they fell.


	15. Dawn

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: I don't own Operation Overdrive, but I have a picture of James Maclurcan in my wallet.

Challenge: Dawn

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick Into Overdrive

Summary: He dragged her out of bed at five-thirty in the morning, saying only that she'd like to see it.

Rose Ortiz awoke to someone shaking her shoulder gently and whispering very close to her ear.

"Wake up, Rosie," said the male voice softly. Even in her groggy state of mind, Rose was able to process that only one person in the world was allowed to call her Rosie, and therefore she knew who had woken her.

"This better be good, Mack," she grumbled, her voice thick with sleep as she struggled to sit up. As she started waking up thoroughly, her brown eyes focused on her red ranger, who was fully dressed and sitting on the edge of her bed.

Rose glanced at the window. "It's still dark, Mack. What's going on? More training or something?"

Mack shook his head. "You'll have to see when we get there. Now get dressed, all right? You have to hurry, or we'll miss it."

The pink ranger yawned. "What's so important that I'm being dragged out of my bed at five-thirty in the morning when I should still be asleep?"

"I'll be downstairs, Rose. Five minutes, OK?" He got off of her bed and left the room.

Rose was irritated that he'd just ignored her question, but she dutifully swung her legs over the side of her bed, yawned again, and crossed the bedroom to her closet.

She arrived down in the game rom to see Mack standing all alone at the pool table, looking as though he'd had three cups of coffee since he'd gotten up. "Where's everyone else?" questioned Rose.

"They're not invited," Mack answered simply, seizing her hand and pulling her out of the room towards the front door of the Hartford estate. "Now come on. It's still a little bit away."

Rose pondered this as she followed Mack into the little wooded area behind the manor. She wondered if Mack was playing some sort of trick on her and that the others were already waiting somewhere, but she decided that Mack was far too sweet of a guy to do something like that.

"Here it is," announced Mack as he stopped. The red and pink rangers were in a sort of meadow, the soft pale green grass underfoot still damp with dew, a huge fallen log covered in moss. The meadow, Rose realized, was facing towards the east, and on the horizon was the rising sun.

Rose breathed a soft sigh and took off her uniform jacket. She spread it out on the log and folded herself onto it, watching the approaching dawn in awe. Mack smiled to himself as he joined her.

She didn't say anything until the sun had finished rising, and Mack took his cue from her. The serene look on his companion's face was enough for him.

"Thank you, Mack," she said softly. He nodded and then gestured back to the main house. Rose bobbed her head in agreement and started out of the woods.

And then when they were almost back- "Why me, Mack?"

"Because I knew you would like it, and because you're special," and that was all he needed to say.


	16. Knight

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: I don't own Operation Overdrive, but I have a picture of James Maclurcan in my wallet.

Challenge: Knight

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick Into Overdrive

Summary: Every princess needs one, and Mack doesn't mind being hers.

Rose Ortiz looked around at her surroundings happily. There was nothing better to her than the peace and quiet offered by a bookstore. She let out a content sigh, breathed in the scent of print and new paper, and headed right to her favorite area of the store: the poetry section.

She browsed among the aisles, relishing in the serene nature of the bookstore. It was nice to just be away from her noisy teammates, even if only for an afternoon. She liked the other rangers well enough, especially Mack, but from time to time she just wanted to be alone.

Absently, Rose selected a book of poetry from one of the shelves. She ran her hand over the glossy cover, trying to take her mind off of her red ranger. Even away from the rest of the team she couldn't stop thinking about them, especially _him._ That, Rose concluded, was very frightening. She very obviously needed this little break she'd given herself.

"Hello there," said an unfamiliar male voice, deep and pleasant. Rose looked up into the blue eyes of a tall blond man. He was quite attractive, Rose had to admit, but she found herself comparing him to her red ranger, her Mack. There was no comparison, not really. What was wrong with her, anyway? Why did it really matter if this guy's eyes weren't as blue as Mack's?

"Hi," she replied, looking down at the book in her hands.

"I'm Chris," he told her.

"Rose."

"Pretty name for a pretty girl," Chris said, his tone suave and not unlike Will's when he was trying to flirt with Ronny. "I like a girl who reads, a girl who uses her head. It's very appealing."

Rose wasn't quite sure what to say to this, so she just nodded and sent him a half-smile.

Encouraged by this, he went on. "You maybe wanna get a cup of coffee some time? Say…now?"

But Rose was saved from answering the question when a pair of arms slid themselves around her waist and someone rested their head on her shoulder. She glanced from the corner of her eye and saw Mack's unruly mop of light brown curls.

"Here you are, baby," Mack said softly. He kissed her cheek. He pretended to notice Chris for the first time. "Who's your friend, Rosie?"

Chris frowned at his competition. "I'm Chris," he said for the second time. "Who are you?"

Mack straightened himself up. "Mack Hartford. And you already know my girlfriend Rose."

Rose leaned in a little closer to her red ranger and reached for his hand, pretending to be his girlfriend. She smiled. Chris slunk away, defeated.

"Thank you, Mack," she whispered gratefully. "For pretending to be my boyfriend so that creep would leave."

Mack's response was to pull her closer to him and plant a soft kiss on her mouth. "I wasn't pretending."


	17. Dependence

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: It's called fanfiction for a reason.

Challenge: Dependence

Timeframe: Post Kick Into Overdrive

Summary: She needs him. She just doesn't know it yet.

There was nothing in her appearance that suggested that Rose Ortiz couldn't take care of herself. The first time he had seen her, standing in the den, she had been wearing all black and a bored sort of expression. The aura about her was one of independence and an incredible intelligence…and it didn't hurt that she was pretty...he couldn't help but notice her and think that he'd better stay on her good side.

And once the mystery of the four random strangers in his house had been solved (Power rangers- how cool was that?) Mack decided that he would pay very special attention to his newly minted pink ranger.

She might not have looked it, but Rose needed someone to look out for her. She was going to end up needing someone to talk to and lean on. And since Mack was going to need that too, why shouldn't he be her rock?

She needed him.

She just didn't know it yet.


	18. Beautiful

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: It's called fanfiction for a reason.

Challenge: Beautiful

Timeframe: Post At All Cost

Summary: In which Rose is stressed, and Mack comes to the rescue.

Rose Ortiz was curled up on one of the couches in the den, her laptop open. The word-processing program was on the screen, the page blank and the cursor blinking at her.

She wanted to scream. She was trying to get a little bit of work done on her thesis, as was much needed, but her mind was completely empty of thought. She'd hoped that since Will and Dax were busy taunting Ronny about losing and Mack had disappeared outside to his hammock that the house would be quiet and her words would come easily.

She had no such luck. Rose sighed and closed her eyes, leaning back into the sofa cushions to try hiding from the world.

"Rose?" questioned Mack softly as he came into the room. "You look kinda stressed out. Are you going to be all right?"

Rose's brown eyes had snapped open at the sound of Mack's voice. Now she caught herself staring at him as he moved closer to the couch, his face twisted into a concerned expression. "I'm fine, Mack. Honestly."

Mack shook his head and joined her on the leather couch. "You don't look fine," he told her as he gently tucked a stray lock of silky black hair behind her ear. Rose felt shivers run down her spine at Mack's proximity and the tenderness with which he touched her.

Mack felt even more worried about his tough as nails pink ranger when she started trembling. "Put the computer away, Rosie. You're working too hard."

"I'm not working at all," protested Rose, but she did as she had been told. She let Mack wrap his arms around her and hold her tightly. Rose instantly felt more at ease.

"Shh, Rosie," Mack whispered as he made himself more comfortable on the couch. "Shh, my pretty Rosie. Relax. Go to sleep, baby. Go to sleep." He rubbed slow circles on her back, soothing her frazzled nerves.

"Mack," Rose murmured softly, "I really should work on my thesis. I haven't touched it in weeks."

"Shh, my beautiful Rose. All work and no play makes Rose a nervous, frustrated wreck. And I don't want to see you like that. So forget about your thesis and close your eyes. Come on, do it for me. That's my girl," he said as Rose's eyes slid shut again. He placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. "Sleep tight, my beautiful Rose."


	19. Game

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: I have a red Time Force action figure and a Time Force morpher, but that's it.

Challenge: Game

Timeframe: Post At All Cost

Summary: He has his games, and so does she.

Once Ronny, Will and Dax went off to see if Ronny could handle losing some other game, Rose flopped down onto one of the couches. She sighed contentedly at being alone with her red ranger.

Mack, however, was not going to allow her to lounge around. "Come on Rose, play a game of foosball with me," he pleaded, still looking excited at the fact that he'd finally won the game of foosball with Ronny. "It'll be fun, and I promise I'll go easy on you."

Rose hated to tell him no, but she did. "Not right now, Mack. I'm not in a fun and games type of mood."

"You never are," he retorted. "Come on Rosie. Please?"

And Rose knew glancing up was a mistake on her part because she knew herself, and therefore she knew she had a soft spot when it came to Mack. She wasn't going to be able to resist him much longer, and sure enough when she took one look into Mack's eager bright blue eyes she felt her resolve vanish. "Oh all right," Rose agreed, and Mack bounded over to her and yanked her up from her seat.

"You know how to play, right?" he asked, his tone a little smug.

"Of course I do."

"Good. I'll still go easy on you Rose because you're so highly boring I'd wager you almost never play."

He was only teasing, and Rose was aware of this, but she let out an indignant squawk and struck a silly pose, hands on her hips in mock insult. "You're going down, Mack," she declared.

"Bring it on."

And they started the game, eyes locked on the table. Every so often one of them would glance up for a split second and look at the other, but then they went right back to the game.

Then rose let Mack score. "Ha ha!" he yelled triumphantly.

"That wasn't fair," protested Rose. "My gear was stuck."

"Was it?" Mack released hold of his own gears and went to her side. He covered her hands with his much larger ones and tested them. "These aren't stuck, Rose. I think you're just feeling a little bit threatened by me."

But Rose, who had already devised her uncharacteristic plan and didn't want to chicken out now, turned to look up at him, a sly little smile on her face. The pink ranger stood on her tiptoes and kissed him very softly.

"What was that for?"

"You have your games and I have mine."

A/N: Well…I'm not too pleased with Rose's character in this. She was being mean to me when I was writing this, and so she's not exactly right. But it's cute, right? Drop me a line, even if you yell at me for Rose being OOC.

Happy birthday Hazel.


	20. Pride

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: I have a red Time Force action figure and a Time Force morpher, but that's it.

Challenge: Pride

Timeframe: Post Follow the Ranger

Summary: She's proud of him.

Mack ran out of his father's office, knowing that Andrew was following him closely. And who did he run into in the hall but his pink ranger, who looked at him as if he had grown another head.

"Mack, what on earth are you doing?" asked Rose, but instead of an answer Mack seized one of her hands and pulled her down the corridor, glancing over his shoulder for his father.

"Come on," he whispered urgently, "He'll find us, and then I'll be in trouble."

Rose's confusion showed on her face. "Who are you running from?"

"My dad."

"And you're scared of him because…?"

"Just come on," Mack replied impatiently. "I'll tell you once we're safe."

"Oh really, you're ridiculous," scoffed Rose, but she didn't pull away from his grip. In fact, she was rather enjoying holding his hand.

Mack pulled his pink ranger into the library and flopped onto the couch, taking her with him. She started to climb off of him, but he would have none of that. "Don't move, you'll make noise and he'll find us."

"Honestly," muttered Rose, but she didn't move again. Mack casually draped an arm across her shoulders. She snuggled in a little closer to him.

They heard Andrew's footsteps pass, and Mack breathed a sigh of relief. "Anyway, I was running from my dad because he couldn't stand a little bit of teasing," the red ranger explained. "His pride got the better of him."

Rose closed her eyes and thought for a moment. She opened them again and looked up at him. "I think yours did too. You got all bent out of shape as soon as your father said he still worried about you."

"I know I did," Mack replied softly.

"And I know that you know you're a great ranger and you shouldn't have been insulted."

"I know," Mack repeated. "My dad and I already talked about it."

"Good," said Rose, and she closed her eyes again. "Mack," she added, "I'm proud of you."

And Mack thought that his compliment couldn't mean any more to him. He closed his bright blue eyes and rested his head atop hers, berthing in the strawberry scent of her dark hair. He tightened his hold on her, thinking that whatever happened, he'd always have Rose.


	21. Song

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: Rose has something she'd like to tell you.

**Rose:** Overdrive Red would never be able to come up with something like the Power Rangers. She wasn't even smart enough to change her name to Overdrive Pink, seeing as how she loves Mack and all.

**Overdrive Red:** Damn, she's right. Oh, I don't own the song, either, which is "Stolen" by Dashboard Confessional. And iPod belongs to Apple.

Challenge: Song

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick Into Overdrive

Dax walked into the lounge. Will and Ronny had come up with a scheme concerning the red and pink Overdrive rangers, and the two insisted that he be the one to plant the device.

The blue ranger noticed that while Mack and Rose were sitting on the same couch, each with a book in their hands, neither was reading. Instead the two were sending the other secretive little glances and smiles every few minutes.

"Hey guys," Dax greeted, and his fellow rangers both looked up at him. "Do you mind if I play my iPod?" he asked, holding up the blue music player and the speakers that came with it.

Rose shook her head at the same time Mack said, "Not at all."

Dax plopped down onto the armchair opposite the red and pink rangers. He fiddled with the settings of his iPod and selected a song just as his Tracker beeped. "What's up, Ronny?" questioned Dax as the yellow ranger projected from his Overdrive Tracker.

"Mr. Hartford wants you down at HQ," Ronny answered.

"We're on our way," Mack announced, but Ronny shook her head.

"Just Dax. You and Rose just relax." The yellow ranger fought to keep a smile off of her face.

"Well guys, duty calls. I'll leave the music on anyway," Dax said, pressing the play button.

"That was odd," Rose commented. Mack nodded in agreement, humming along to the song. Then the song changed, and once Mack realized what it was he smiled at the appropriateness of it.

_We watch the season pull up its own stakes _

_And catch the last weekend of the last week _

_Before the gold and glimmer have been replaced, _

_Another sun soaked season fades away _

_You have stolen my heart _

The pink ranger, nestled so comfortable in one corner of the sofa, also had a smile on her face at the words. "I think we've been set up, Mack," she said, a chuckled following after. Mack glanced over at the entrance of the lounge and spotted Ronny's yellow shirt peeking out from behind one of the potted plants.

"Well, I'd have to say I agree with you on that count, Rose," Mack replied with a grin on his features. "It's a nice song to be set up with, though."

"And a true one at that," Rose mumbled shyly, determinedly not looking towards him.

Mack grinned wider.


	22. Quest

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: Rose has something she'd like to tell you.

**Rose:** Overdrive Red would never be able to come up with something like the Power Rangers. She wasn't even smart enough to change her name to Overdrive Pink, seeing as how she loves Mack and all.

**Overdrive Red:** Damn, she's right.

Challenge: Quest

Timeframe: Post Kick Into Overdrive

Summary: Mack has a quest of his own.

She found him in his hammock on the front lawn. He was looking at the horizon in awe, watching the sun set. Rose found a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Hey," she called softly, and he looked back at her with surprise on his face.

"Hi Rose. Care to join me?"

"I'd love to," she replied. Mack sat up, making a spot for her. The newly minted pink ranger seated himself next to Mack. He was still gazing at the sunset incredulously. "It's a very nice sunset," Rose offered as conversation.

"Yeah. But actually I was just thinking. Everything got turned upside down today and I kinda like the surprises it brought."

"Some quest we have, isn't it?" Rose agreed. "I always thought the Corona Aurora was just a myth, and now we're searching for the jewels. It's amazing."

"You sounded so smart explaining the myth," he told her quietly. "And you sounded like you were really getting into it."

"Thank you," she replied. "I wasn't so sure that was endearing to any of the others, though. They all looked at me like I'd grown another head or something." Rose looked kind of sad, Mack thought as he studied her face.

"You were really great fighting the lava lizards," Mack said in hopes that this would cheer her up some.

"And you saved everyone," Rose responded. She got up. "I'll see you later Mack." Se thought for a moment. "Thanks again."

Mack couldn't explain it, but he felt drawn to Rose, and as he rearranged himself to look out at the sunset again, his mind wasn't on the dangerous quest he and the others were about to embark on, but the pink ranger.


	23. Patience

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: Only in my dreams.

Challenge: Patience

Timeframe: During Follow the Ranger

Summary: She needed to have patience. It was only a matter of time before he would be home again.

She was worried. That much was obvious. And unfortunately, Rose was the kind of person to fret. She was jumpy at any small noise, hoping it was her Tracker going off at any small noise with the news that Spencer and Andrew had located Mack. She kept telling the other rangers to hurry up with the zords, saying they needed to be ready as soon as possible. It was starting to drive Will and Dax insane.

"Would you chill out already?" asked Will. "We'll fix the zords and Spencer and Mr. Hartford will find Mack."

"He'll be fine, Rose. He can take care of himself," added Dax.

"Have patience. Spencer's never failed us yet," chirped Ronny from atop of Mack's Drill Driver zord.

Rose knew her friends meant well, and she knew Mack was going to be fine. But she didn't stop worrying, not until an hour later when she and the others returned to the secret base and Spencer announced Mack had been found.

Now she just had to wait for him to get home.


	24. Closer

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: Only in my dreams.

Challenge: Closer

Timeframe: Post Follow the Ranger

Summary: He did the only thing that made sense to him then: he reached out and hugged her, hugged her close and tight.

There was definitely something different about the pink ranger. She was uncharacteristically cuddled up against the side of the red ranger as the team relaxed in front of a movie in the lounge, her head on his shoulder. Absently, Rose traced circles on the back of Mack's hand, and it was starting to drive him insane.

As soon as the movie had ended, the black, blue and yellow rangers headed up to their beds, stretching and yawning. Rose, however, showed no signs of wanting to move in the near future. Mack made the decision of asking what was wrong. After all, the pink ranger was not usually so affectionate, not even with him, and Mack was certain she had a soft spot for him.

"Rose? Is everything all right?"

"Oh yeah," she chirped in a completely un-Rose like manner. Mack raised an eyebrow, and the cheery fake smile that had planted itself on Rose's face with her answer vanished. He knew her entirely too well.

"You know you can talk to me about anything," Mack said softly, reaching down and moving a stray lock of silky black hair from her face. "Try me. I don't bite."

Rose looked up at him then, locking her brown gaze with his blue one. There was fear in her eyes, something Mack had no recollection of seeing there before. "I could have lost you today, Mack. I came far too close to losing you." She resumed her post at his shoulder, burying her pretty face against the sleeve of his shirt.

"Rose…come on. You know I can take care of myself. You know that with a bunch of morons like Moltor and Flurious I was never in any _real _danger. And besides, I'm right here, safe and sound."

"I don't like worrying about you, Mack. To be honest, you completely terrify me." Her voice was muffled, but Mack could tell she was sincere. How sweet that she cared about him so much. It just made him want her all the more.

He did the only thing that made sense to him then: he reached out and hugged her, hugged her close and tight. "Oh Rosie," he murmured into her hair. "Don't be afriad. It's all right. I'm right here."

Mack felt the pink ranger relax in his grip and he experienced a faint note of pride at the thought of being the one who she cared and worried about.

Maybe there was something to be said for being kidnapped by the two incompetent goons.


	25. Mirror

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: Alas, the multicolored spandex and the people in it aren't mine.

Challenge: Mirror

Timeframe: Post Lights, Camera, Dax!

Summary: She wondered why she was letting herself get attached to him. She wondered how she'd ever gotten by without him.

Rose let out a grunt. Twenty-seven bathrooms. Who needed twenty-seven bathrooms in the first place? It was ridiculous, Rose thought, and she hadn't even finished cleaning the first bathroom before she decided that when it came to punishment Andrew Hartford was an evil, evil man.

The pink ranger released a disgruntled puff of air and looked up from the toothpaste-splattered sink she'd been scrubbing, only to see Mack's reflection in the mirror. "It's not funny, Mack. Some leader you are, laughing at those less fortunate than you." She knew she was snapping at him and that she really had no reason to do so, but Rose was not in the mood to be gawked at.

The red ranger held up his hands in front of himself as if certain Rose was about to attack him. "I didn't say it was funny, and I'm definitely not laughing at you, Rose. I actually wanted to see if you wanted some company."

Rose was very aware that Mack was good at getting to her. He'd wormed his way into her heart the first day they'd met, and Rose suspected that he already knew this.

"I'll even help if you want me to," Mack added. He looked kind of hopeful.

"Sure," Rose answered. She shot the red ranger a faint smile and tossed him a rag.

They cleaned in silence for some time, every so often glancing in the mirror at the other ranger. "Mack?" Rose asked after a while. "Can I ask who uses all these bathrooms? Twenty-seven seems a little extravagant if you ask me."

Mack grinned. "No one, really. I have this theory, though…"

Rose brightened. "A theory?" she repeated.

"Well…it's just a thought, really. I think my parents were planning on having more than one kid, hence all the bathrooms. It just didn't work out that way."

"Oh." The pink ranger bobbed her read and scrubbed another patch of the sink. "One more question."

"Anything you want to know."

"Why the hell are you helping me clean all of them?"

Mack glanced up into the mirror. He laughed at the expression Rose was making and then pulled himself together. "Because, my ever-curious pink ranger, you did a good thing for Dax, helping him out like that. And personally… I think it was really unfair for you to be punished for being a friend."

Rose managed another faint smile. "You're sweet, Mack," she told him. "Really you are."

Mack grinned back at her and then returned to scrubbing the sinks, but Rose continued watching him in the mirror, pondering.

She wondered why she was letting herself get attached to him.

She wondered how she'd ever gotten by without him.


	26. Duty

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: Alas, the multicolored spandex and the people in it aren't mine.

Challenge: Duty

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick Into Overdrive

Summary: When he held her close it was impossible to concentrate on the duty she had to the world.

Just when Rose Ortiz thought she couldn't stand keeping her growing feelings about a certain red leader a secret any longer, Mack requested that the two of them have a little chat. Rose went into the "chat" wondering what was going on with Mack and came out with a date.

Yes, it appeared the pink ranger had the same affect on Mack that he had on her; that there was something a little more between them than mere friendship. So when he got to the end of his ramble, the part where he very casually asked if maybe she'd like to catch a movie, Rose had accepted without so much as a second thought.

Funny how he could make her do things she wouldn't normally do. If, say Will or Dax had wanted more than friendship from er, Rose would have turned them down. But Mack was different. Mack was special…he was _Mack_. The fearless, tough as nails red ranger who at the same time could be so silly and childish. Rose had never met someone so…well…she didn't know how to explain it.

So she and Mack slowly became more than friends, finding more and more opportunities to sneak away and be together.

Rose knew it was wrong, keeping she and Mack's blossoming relationship a secret from their teammates and mentor. She knew she shouldn't have been thinking about Mack constantly, that she should have been focusing on the job she had: saving the world. The universe's fate was on she and the team's shoulders; defending the galaxy was their duty.

But when Mack wrapped his arms around her securely and held her close, it was impossible to concentrate on the duty she had to the world.


	27. Why?

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: In case the term fanfiction has misled you in any way…PR isn't mine.

Challenge: Why?

Timeframe: Post Face to Face I

Summary: Rose wonders why he'd gotten to keep the Tracker.

She was starting to wonder why Andrew Hartford had allowed Mack to keep the red Tracker. Mack was a great ranger, and she knew this, but now…now Mack was missing and there was a savage alien with him, and the forest was a huge area. Mack and Tyzonne could have been anywhere.

Rose recalled how Mack had insisted that Tyzonne was different, that he didn't want to hurt anyone. But quite obviously he did want to hurt someone- Mack. Rose couldn't help but think of a thousand different 'what ifs' and the pink ranger knew her heart rate was steadily getting higher as she and the other rangers combed the forest for Mack. She was certain she wasn't going to be able to relax until she knew what happened to Mack.

She had faith in the red leader; she knew that Mack had always pulled through for them before. She just couldn't help feeling anxious as she scanned the forest scenery for any flash of red. Mack was well…special, especially to her. Rose didn't think she could bear it if anything had happened to him. She didn't think she'd be able to hold herself back if Mack was hurt and Tyzonne had been the one to cause him harm.

When things like this happened, Rose wondered why Andrew had ever been allowed Mack to be part of the team.

A/N: While I know Tyzonne was really a good guy, Mack was the only one of the rangers to realize this. Please keep in mind that Rose and the other rangers still think he's evil.


	28. Scars

**Of Anime, Poetry, and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: In case the term fanfiction has misled you in any way…PR isn't mine.

Challenge: Scars

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick Into Overdrive

Summary: He'd do it again in a heartbeat.

She was growing more and more anxious, pacing the floor restlessly. The other rangers watched her warily, knowing it would do no good to remind her of what Andrew and Spencer had already told them a thousand times: that Mack just needed a few stitched and he'd be as good as new in a couple of days.

Rose, however, seemed convinced that something terrible was bound to happen and that it would be all her fault. She'd been the one who'd needed to be helped. She'd been the one who got herself locked in combat with Moltor and nearly got herself killed.

_Flashback_

_The five Overdrive rangers were out in battle fighting Moltor, a handful of his lava goons and one of his monsters. Mack, Will, Dax and Ronny were dealing with the lava lizards and monster, and Rose had somehow ended up fighting Moltor. The fire themed villain had dealt Rose a heavy blow to her ribcage, and the pink ranger had fallen, her breathing ragged. Mack had spotted that she was in trouble and came dashing to her rescue. The red and pink rangers double teamed against Moltor seamlessly…until Rose took another hit._

_Mack defended his fallen comrade, giving her enough time to scramble to her feet. Moltor, smirking, headed towards the pink ranger again, his sword raised menacingly. He was just about to strike her when Mack dropped his Drive Lance, wrapped his arms around Rose and slammed them both to the ground._

_The red ranger took the sword's strike. The blade ripped through his ran and white uniform, slicing his back open. Rose screamed and Moltor and the lava lizards and monster vanished._

"_Mack," whispered Rose, and the others hurried over to them, already contacting Andrew back at the base._

_End Flashback_

Spencer and Andrew came out of the makeshift hospital wing, both looking tired. "He's all stitched up now, Rose," Andrew announced, managing a weary smile for the pink ranger. "You can go see him, if you want. I know you've been worried about him."

Rose shot her mentor a time smile in thanks and headed in. She smiled wider when she saw that Mack was sitting up with that quirky grin playing on his lips. A sigh of relief escaped her. "Oh thank God," she said as she moved to his side. Rose perched herself next to the red ranger, her brown eyes narrowed at him.

"It's not as bad as it sounds, Rose," Mack tried to assure her, correctly interpreting her glare. "Honestly it's not."

"Let me see."

Mack heaved a sigh and did as he was told. Rose took one look at the stitches crisscrossing Mack's back and gasped. "Oh Mack," she breathed softly, gently prodding his back near the stitches. "That's going to leave a scar. I'm so sor-"

"Don't tell me you're sorry. If you had taken that hit from Moltor it would have killed you Rose. You were already injured as it was, and thanks to my genetic enhancement all I needed was a few stitches."

"But Mack…"

The red ranger shook his head. "It would have killed you Rose. End of story. I don't want to hear another word about it." He gripped her hand. "Understand?"

Rose nodded. "Good," Mack said firmly. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear for her and planted a very soft kiss on her cheek. "And don't ever doubt that you're worth it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat."


	29. Sacrifice

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: If I owned PR, I'd be sitting in the Bahamas sipping exotic drinks and making James Maclurcan give me in a massage.

Challenge: Sacrifice

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick Into Overdrive

Summary: He was going to make sure her sacrifice was worth it.

He knew that what they did was a sacrifice for all of them: Ronny with her cars, Will being a spy, and Dax being a stuntman. But most of all it was a sacrifice for Rose. Learning was very obviously her passion; it was what she lived for. And while being a ranger still allowed all of the others to touch on their other careers, Rose was basically stuck in the role of resident go-to girl.

Mack knew she was secretly flattered every time one of the house's occupants asked Rose a question about something. He also knew she would never admit this, but the evidence was there. He knew she tried not to act as if postponing her education to save the world wasn't a bother to her, but Mack watched Rose very carefully. He saw her studying a number of subjects every spare moment she had, and it almost worried him that she was stretching herself too far.

But every time he was about to speak to her about taking a break, she did it on her own, as if she knew he was concerned about her.

And for this Mack was going to make sure Rose's sacrifice was worthwhile.

He didn't know how he was going to do this yet, but he was going to.


	30. Smile

**Of Anime, Poetry, and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: If I owned PR, I'd be sitting in the Bahamas sipping exotic drinks and making James Maclurcan give me in a massage.

Challenge: Smile

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick Into Overdrive

Summary: He loved to see her with a smile on her face.

There was nothing Mack loved more in the world than to see Rose Ortiz smile, especially if he'd been the one to put it there.

Rose's smiles lit up her whole face and put a twinkle in her eye. And it was just so infectious; Mack couldn't help but smiling right along with the pink ranger.

Then there were the types of smiles Rose had. There were happy smiles that came along with the discovery of another piece to the puzzle, and there were the scoffing ones that appeared at the ridiculous things their teammates sometimes said. There were the smiles that came along at Dax's antics, and ones that (and Mack couldn't help but notice it) she seemed to use only for him, secretive and almost…playful.

But he loved to see his pink ranger with a smile on her face, no matter which type it was.


	31. Spellbound

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: Do I look like I have Mickey Mouse ears?

Challenge: Spellbound

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick Into Overdrive

Summary: In which Rose does some strange things.

"Oh would you shut up already? No one cares about the fact that you can relate everything to the Baron's Betrayal," snapped Rose to Mack as she fought a group of lava lizards. She got in a swift kick to one of them, sending him flying and knocking down three more at the same time.

"Looks like the pink ranger needs to put some love in her life," cooed Moltor's current monster, Cupid's Chokehold. "Let's see what we can do about that."

Rose barely had time to ponder what the revolting pixie-like monster meant by her statement when a cloud of pink perfume-like substance came wafting towards her. Rose felt very strange indeed as the substance did its job and came into full effect.

"Mack!" cried Rose, dropping her Drive Geyser and _skipping_ to the red ranger's side. "Oh sweetheart, I am so sorry I yelled at you. Do you forgive me, baby?"

Mack blinked behind the visor of his helmet. "What did you do to her?" he shouted at the girlish monster as Rose took his gloved hand in her own.

"I merely put her in touch with her emotions. They were simply buried under all that iciness she calls a heart. Have a happy ever after," sang the fairy. Mack frowned as the monster disappeared. He looked down at Rose, who was still holding his hand and giggling.

"What's with her?" questioned Will as he, Dax and Ronny joined the red and pink rangers. Mack shrugged.

"Some kind of spell. We'd better get her back to the base. Maybe Dad and Spencer will be able to find some kind of cure for her."

--

"Sorry guys, looks like the only way you'll be able to get Rose back to normal is to defeat Cupid's Chokehold," announced Andrew, gazing sadly at the results he'd gotten from the tests he'd run.

"So not only did the monster steal her name from that song, she totally messed up our friend," declared Dax, slumping into a chair.

"She didn't mess me up," chirped Rose, who was still cuddled up against Mack's side. Her head was resting on his shoulder and their fingers were intertwined. "Why does this have to be a problem?"

"Because, Rose, this isn't you," answered Mack. "And I for one prefer the old Rose."

"Oh baby, you're so silly," giggled Rose. The red ranger didn't mind that Rose was cuddling with him or that she was using pet names, but he did mind that she was only doing it because of what Moltor's goon had done to her. He wanted this affectionate Rose to do those things of her own accord, not because she was under a spell. He wanted his Rose back, the one who was always the voice of reason, the one who always had the right answer. This wasn't his Rose, not at all.

"In the mean time, you'll just have to deal with the effects," Andrew continued. "I'll keep looking for a solution."

Ronny, Will and Dax audibly groaned as they filed out of the Command Center, but Mack and Rose hung back a little. The red ranger stared at the elder Hartford.

"You know," Andrew said, "The two of you really make a cute couple."

Mack chose to ignore this comment, even though he personally agreed. "Come on Dad. Are you sure there's nothing that can be done? I don't like her like this. She's not the Rose that-"

"You know and love?" interrupted Andrew with a knowing smile. "I'm sorry Mack, but you'll have to take that up with Cupid."

"See sweetie? He doesn't think there's anything wrong with me. He thinks we're cute. How about we go talk to Spencer about packing us a picnic lunch?"

And with that, the pink ranger pulled Mack out of HQ.

--

"All right Rose, you have to focus on the mission. No laughing or freaking out about your nails or whatever…just fight," Mack told her on the way to the battle. He looked at her almost sternly, his mouth set.

"Oh honestly, you're so uptight," Rose complained. "It's like we switched personalities."

Mack decided he was going to have to be just as syrupy sweet as Rose in order for her cooperation. "Rosie, if you can just focus on the battle like the normal you would, I'll give you something that you'll like very much."

"What?" Rose asked coyly.

"A kiss," answered Mack. Rose smiled and nodded.

"OK, I'll fight Cupid with you, Mackie."

Mack winced at the nickname but didn't bother pursuing the matter. He stopped the Jeep and hopped out, joining his other teammates.

"Ready?"

"Ready! Overdrive Accelerate!"

And the blue, black, and yellow rangers charged towards the lava minions, leaving their red and pink counterparts to battle with Cupid's Chokehold.

"And how does my spell fare?" she asked, smirking. Neither answered, but took out their respective weapons and attacked.

After a quick Megazord skirmish with Cupid's Chokehold, the rangers returned to the ground. Rose sunk to her knees as the pink cloud removed itself from her. "Rose?" Mack asked softly as he knelt beside her. She murmured that she was fine, and then fell into his waiting arms.

--

"Hi," Rose said softly, entering the sitting room Mack was in. "Can we talk?"

"Of course." He put his book aside and patted the couch next to him. "What's up?"

"I'm just…I'm so sorry, Mack. I must have made you feel so uncomfortable, acting like that and smothering you."

"Rose, sweetheart, I don't want you to be sorry. It was kind of nice, being with you like that. Just…I prefer the real you. The one with the answers and the know-how, the one who tells me to get my head out of the clouds."

She bobbed her head. "I understand. I prefer that me, too." She still looked uncertain, but she took one glance into Mack's bright blue eyes and continued. "She didn't create those feelings Mack. They were there...she just brought them out." Her brown eyes were simply begging him to give her some sign that he had these same emotions that she did.

"I know. And Rose, believe me, it's not that I don't have those same kind of feelings for you, it's that I don't know if starting a relationship with you right now would be the best thing. It's not safe."

Rose looked as if she might cry. She tried to put on a brave front for the red ranger, but Mack could still see the hurt, crushed look in her eyes. She got up to leave. "Bye, Mack."

But he couldn't let her leave like that. "Hold on. I still owe you something." He grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him.

She knew what he was about to do. "Mack, you don't have to-" she protested, but the red ranger ignored her and brought his lips to hers.


	32. Power

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: Do I look like I have Mickey Mouse ears?

Challenge: Power

Timeframe: Somewhere after Weather or Not

Summary: It was what made them power rangers.

He said it so easily. Power rangers. She loved being a ranger-getting to save the world in her favorite color? How completely incredible- but saying the words still felt weird to her, like becoming one of the few who were chosen to bear the power was part of some strange dream she just couldn't wake up from.

Rose loved every second of it- researching every scrap of information about the Corona Aurora she could get her hands on, cracking the codes, traveling the world in search of the five ancient jewels. It would be exciting for anyone.

And it wasn't just the adventures, either. She was very fond of her teammates, despite the fact that they sometimes annoyed her. Will with his stories about places he'd recovered artifacts from, Dax with his stunt moves, and Ronny with her tales of racing; Rose liked hearing about all of her teammates' own adventures.

Then there was Mack, who had never gotten to have any adventures until he'd taken the Tracker. Rose was especially fond of the handsome red ranger. He might not have had many experiences to share, but he was always up for a discussion about the latest fiction works or simply sitting in silence with her curled up close to him.

They were all so different, but Rose thought that was what made them work well together. That was what made them power rangers.


	33. Routine

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: No. For the last time, no.

Challenge: Routine

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick Into Overdrive

Summary: It meant the world was still safe.

He was perfectly content with the pattern his life had fallen into. This surprised him quite a bit, as before he'd become a ranger all he had ever wanted was to have a huge adventure. Being a ranger offered plenty of that, he supposed, but at the same time it was just nice to spend a quiet afternoon at home with a graphic novel or adventure tale, especially with a certain pink ranger curled up next to him.

His dad was very strict about routine training: up at dawn, breakfast, physical training, then zord maneuver drills, more physical training. Mack knew the elder Hartford just wanted to make sure the young team was ready for the upcoming fights with Flurious, Moltor, and Miratrix, not to mention any other villain who might have been seeking the crown. And they were ready. The Overdrive rangers were on top of their game.

And if a call hadn't come for them to go and save the world again, then he and Rose stuck to their own routine of collapsing onto a couch in the lounge, each with a book in their hands.

It was just nice, to relax with a book and a pretty girl at his side. It meant the world was still safe, at least for one more day.


	34. Time

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: No. For the last time, no.

Challenge: Time

Timeframe: Post Face to Face II

Summary: He didn't let go of her for awhile, knowing they both needed the time to be close like this.

"Hey," greeted the voice of the pink ranger softly. "Are you all right?" She stepped out into the cool night air and onto the balcony. She stood next to him, so close that their shoulders were touching. He heaved a sigh.

"I was just so sure that Tyzonn was going to help us, Rose. He had good intentions, even when he was Moltor's minion. He wasn't searching for the jewels. I just…I don't know anymore." The red ranger looked like he had just lost his best friend in the whole world.

He managed to earn her sympathy, and Rose reached for his hand. This made him send her a confused look, but she ignored this. "Mack, just give him some time. Maybe he'll come around."

"You're right, Rose. You always are." Mack straightened himself up a little and noticed the goose bumps on the pink ranger's bare arms. "You're cold." Mack shrugged off his uniform jacket and handed it to her.

She started to shake her head, but he held up a hand. "What kind of red ranger would I be if I didn't look out for my team members? Just put it on, Rose; it's not going to kill you."

Rose did as she was told, bundling herself into the red ranger's jacket. It smelled like ivory soap, just like he did. "And speaking of being killed…Mack, you have to stop disappearing on me. It…well…it terrifies me every single time that we can't find you." Her words were spoken softly, and the look in her eyes was intense.

"You worry far too much, Rose."

"That may be the case, but Mack, please remember it's only because I…I care about you."

"I know you do, Rose," Mack replied, slinging his arm over her shoulders. "I know you do."

He didn't let go of her for awhile, knowing they both needed the time to be close like this. He cared about her just as much as she did him, and for being able to hold her like this he was grateful.


	35. Darkness

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: This is getting quite boring…

Challenge: Darkness

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick into Overdrive

Summary: "Just let me be alone. That's all I'm destined for, anyway."

She stood at the window in the den, watching as the storm raged over the grounds. She was clad in a pink bathrobe and white pajamas, and as lightning flashed, illuminating the dark room, Rose had never looked more beautiful. But this new brief source of light also showed the twin trails tears had left on her face.

"Rose?" His question came softly, so softly that he thought she hadn't heard him at first. But then she raised her hand to her face, brushing her tears away angrily, and she looked back at him with a phony smile on her face.

"Some storm we're having, huh?"

He nodded and stepped closer to her. "Are you all right? I thought I saw you…crying." Mack joined the pink ranger at the window, resting a hand on her shoulder. She didn't object to the friendly gesture. Rose heaved a sigh.

"I was brooding. Or perhaps brooding is not a strong enough word. I think mourning is a more accurate term." Mack felt her tremble. He didn't know what to do.

"Mourning?" he repeated, just so he'd have something to say.

"Over what can never be. I guess I should be used to it by now. I've always been alone, really." She shivered beneath his hand.

"That's not true. You've got me." He knew it sounded cliché, but he meant his words.

Rose turned to him, her eyes sad. Mack hated it. He wanted to do something to help her, to find some way to comfort her. "You're sweet, Mack. But please, please don't try to do this. Just let me be alone. That's all I'm destined for, anyway." Her tone was dark, hollow and dead sounding.

"No," he protested fiercely, and out of desperation to make her realize that he would always be there for her, he grabbed her face and pressed his mouth to hers in an intense kiss. "You are not destined to be lonely. Not while I'm here," Mack whispered when they pulled away for air.

Rose shot him the tiniest of smiles, feeling some of the dark hollows of her heart brighten.


	36. Worst Case Scenario

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: This is getting quite boring…

Challenge: Worst Case Scenario

Timeframe: Post Heart of Blue

Summary: In which Mack thinks about Will and Rose's relationship.

He sat in his room, taking out his fury on the pillow. He glared at the red walls and the anime posters decorating them, as if it were their fault he was so furious. He punched the pillow in its red case for the fiftieth time, his bright blue eyes still narrowed.

Will was trying to steal Rose right out from under his nose. The hands on her shoulders, all possessively, if you asked Mack, the smug smile on the black ranger's face as Rose didn't pull away…all of it added up to one horrible scenario: Will and Rose had something going on.

Mack hated it. He wanted to be the one who had a secret relationship with Rose; he wanted to be the one who held her. He wanted to be the one she leaned on, and in return he wanted to be able to lean on her. He wanted Rose Ortiz, end of story.

But if Will was the one who made Rose happy…he wanted Rose to be happy…

He still couldn't help but think he'd never hated a situation more than this one.


	37. Competition

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: I dream of owning Power Rangers. Dreams aren't reality, sadly.

Challenge: Competition

Timeframe: Post Man of Mercury II

Summary: Ronny landed herself in a triangle, but Mack is still the one Rose wants.

Will and Tyzonn both stormed from the gym area, with a stressed looking Ronny scurrying after them. Rose almost felt sorry for the yellow ranger, with all the drama going on between she, the black ranger and the Mercury ranger. Will was not pleased with Tyzonn and vice versa. Dax let out a low whistle.

"Well now that the entertainment's gone, I think I'm gonna go get changed and watch a movie," he announced as he followed Ronny's path, leaving Rose and Mack alone. Mack smiled at her.

"They're in quite a mess, aren't they?" he questioned lightheartedly. He plopped down onto the gym floor, stretching his arms over his head. Rose nodded and joined the red leader on the ground, hugging her knees to her chest and resting her chin on them.

"Course, I'm just glad it's not you Ty fell for. I don't want any competition. I have a feeling I have my work cut out for me as it is." Mack was still smiling as he spoke.

"You have a huge ego, you know that?" Rose chided as she scooted next to him. She planted a kiss on his cheek and then rested her head on his shoulder. "And by the way…you don't have any competition."


	38. Moonlight

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: I dream of owning Power Rangers. Dreams aren't reality, sadly.

Challenge: Moonlight

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick into Overdrive

Summary: It's the first time either have said it, but it doesn't make it any less real.

He led her out onto the grounds where, she saw with a smile, he'd set up a moonlit picnic for the two of them. How sweet her Mack was. Her Mack. She liked the sound of that. "You're a romantic," she sighed happily to the red ranger. She laced their fingers together, blissfully happy to be the one he shared the soft side of himself with. Rose felt herself fall for him all over again.

They ate in quiet, murmuring occasionally. Rose never let go of his hand. And then when they had finished their meal, Mack put everything they had used back into the basket and pushed it aside. He lay down on the blanket, taking her with him. Rose smiled again resting her head on his chest, still holding his hand, looking up at the stars.

"I really like this. Being with you," Mack offered quietly, rubbing circles on the back of Rose's hand. "It's not like any other relationship I've had. It's special." Rose made a noise of agreement, closing her eyes and resting.

"And Rose…well…I'm beginning to think there's more to us than just some teenage romance. I think I'm in…" Mack let out a sigh and then took a deep breath. "I think I'm in love with you."

Rose's eyes snapped open and she sat up, looking down at him, her brown eyes suddenly sparkling with tears. "What?"

"I'm sorry, Rose, sweetheart. I shouldn't have said that. Don't cry. Please don't cry." He sat up too, looking like his heart had just been broken. "Please don't cry. It doesn't have to change anything." He thought she was crying because she was afraid and didn't feel the same way. How very wrong he was.

"No, no, Mack. I don't know why I started crying. I'm just happy I guess. I…I think I love you too." That certainly summed up what she had been feeling these last months.

He sighed audibly. "Don't scare me like that. When you started crying I was thinking you were about to break up with me." He put his arms around her, cradling Rose against him as if she were as delicate as a porcelain doll. Mack bent and kissed the top of her head. "I'm glad you feel the same way. Really I am."

Rose tilted her head up towards him and kissed him almost shyly. "How could I not?"

And then nothing but silence and the moon and the stars…


	39. Test

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose **

Disclaimer: Not mine, but maybe if I'm nice to Mack he'll buy it for me.

Challenge: Test

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick into Overdrive

Summary: "Because, Rose, we are all tired of you being so damned ignorant about Mack's huge crush on you."

"You need to do this quiz," announced Ronny Robinson as she strode into Rose Ortiz's room. "Get a pen and answer the questions. It's an order." The yellow ranger brandished a glossy copy of _Seventeen_. Rose was surprised at Ronny's magazine choice but chose not to comment on it.

"Why?" she demanded instead. "Why should I take some stupid girly quiz?" She scanned the title, feeling her jaw drop open. She was unable to speak.

"Because, Rose, we are all tired of you being so damned ignorant about Mack's huge crush on you. We are also sick of you pretending you don't like him back. This will get you to admit it, if only to yourself."

"You're delusional, Ronny," Rose said coldly. "There is nothing going on with Mack and I. We're just friends." She turned her attention back to her poetry book.

"You know how many times that's been said before, Rose? You'd be surprised if you would just stop being so scared to relax and enjoy yourself. Be honest, at least with yourself," Ronny retorted. "I'll just leave this here for you." She dropped the copy of _Seventeen_ on Rose's desk next to the laptop and bounced out of the room.

'_Well, what does Ronny know anyway?'_ Rose wondered. _'Acting all high and mighty just because she's dating Will.' _Rose tried to put the other girl's words out of her mind, but the pink ranger found herself unable to do so. Her thoughts wandered back to the magazine.

She picked it up, examining the questions that went along with it. "How to Tell if He Secretly Pines for You." The question of why she was going to waste her times on the test came to mind, but Rose couldn't think of a logical explanation other than she wanted to prove Ronny wrong.

The questions were simple enough. Rose zipped through them easily, as she often did with such things.

"'You are without a jacket. He-

A: Offers to take you back to his place to warm up or B: Gives you his jacket.'"

The pink ranger caught herself smiling. She selected the second answer and then looked at the results.

'_Mostly A's: He may seem like he's interested in getting to know you, but chances are he's just looking for a hookup._

_Mostly B's: He's a sweetheart, the genuine article. He'd do anything for you. And we guarantee he's pining for you. So what are you waiting for? Go talk to him.'_

What _was_ she waiting for?


	40. Impression

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: Not mine, but maybe if I'm nice to Mack he'll buy it for me.

Challenge: Impression

Timeframe: Post Kick into Overdrive II

Summary: He was certainly not spoiled, and certainly going to be watched closely by her.

He certainly didn't act the part of a spoiled rich boy. That pleased her immensely for some reason. He was smart and eager to help his father and save the world. She liked Mr. Hartford, but she was happy to see that Mack had taken up the red ranger position instead.

He liked reading, something else that pleased her. She saw him with a book in his hands and she knew instantly that she would get along with him just fine.

And stranger still was that when Ronny talked to him first, Rose felt a stab of jealousy. The other girl was far prettier than she was; the golden boy would certainly like her better.

Or so Rose thought, up until they were in the Jeep. He was trying so hard to make her smile, and he definitely succeeded. What a sweetheart. She found herself defending him when Mr. Hartford had first taken back the Tracker. Mack had thanked her for this later, and she had blushed. This confirmed her impression that he was certainly not spoiled, and certainly going to be watched closely by her.


	41. Let Me Tell You a Story

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose **

Disclaimer: #Listens to "Stolen" (Mack and Rose's song) and cries#

Challenge: Let Me Tell You a Story

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick into Overdrive

Summary: "Now stop interrupting me and let me tell you this twisted little fairy tale."

Rose Ortiz was perched on one of the orange couches in the lounge, reading Mack's very battered copy of the Baron's Betrayal. She was stretched out contentedly, her feet propped up on the ottoman. She put aside the book after finishing the last page, her face smiling. It was easy to see why Mack liked the series so much.

As if on cue, Mack Hartford, who happened to be Rose's boyfriend, walked into the room. "Hey, you," he greeted. He plopped down, sprawling out over the bright cushions. He laid his head in her lap, closing his blue eyes.

"Comfortable there, Mack?" she questioned as she ran a hand through his brown curls. She was still grinning. "You require more attention than a two year old."

"Oh I'm very comfortable," answered the red ranger. "Thank you for asking. Will you tell me a story, Rosie?"

"A story?" she repeated, still running her fingers through his messy mop of curls. "What kind of story do you want to hear?"

"How about the pretty, smart pink princess and the hot red knight who rescued her from the evil of her chemistry textbook?"

"I think I know that one," Rose answered. "So once upon a time there was a princess who lived in San Angeles-"

"I bet she was pretty."

"The red knight always told her she was. Anyway, the pink princess was always studying her pretty little head off because she wanted a Ph.D."

"Was the Ph.D. magical?"

"Yes, if you want it to be. Now stop interrupting me and let me tell you this twisted little fairy tale. Where was I…? Oh yeah, the princess wanted a 'magic' Ph.D. The self-proclaimed 'hot' red knight wanted her enjoy herself every now and then, and he wanted her to be the one he ruled the kingdom with. One day he simply took her chemistry textbook and tossed it into the…er, moat. Then he asked, quite bluntly, if she would like to go out some time."

"To the magic movie theater?" Mack asked in a childish voice, smirking, his eyes still closed. Rose hit him playfully.

"Yes, to the magic movie theater."

Mack chuckled, curling up in a ball. Without opening his blue eyes he said, "Tell me the story about how the red knight kicked the black knight's ass for going near the pink princess."

Rose rolled her eyes and obliged anyway, letting her voice wash over him until he fell asleep, perfectly content.


	42. One Moment

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: #Listens to "Stolen" (Mack and Rose's song) and cries#

Challenge: One Moment

Timeframe: During Behind the Scenes after the interview scene

Summary: In which Rose hates interviews.

Rose buried her face in a pillow on her bed. What she'd just said (on the local morning news, too) was absolutely mortifying. Oh God. What the hell had she been thinking?

"'Oh, you know. Whatever.'" Some child prodigy she turned out to be. Her sister never would have said anything so stupid, which was precisely why Rose was grateful the rest of her family was still in London, far away from San Angeles.

The pink ranger groaned into the pink and red pillow and then rolled over onto her back, glaring up at the white ceiling. It was all Mack's fault, she decided. It was his fault that Rose felt intoxicated by his very presence.

"Knock, knock. Can I come in, Rose?" came the familiar voice of the red ranger. She mumbled a vague response and her door swung open. Mack walked into her bedroom. "You had a book for me?" he prompted. She pointed to the desk and turned over again. Then she sat up.

"You."

"Me?" Mack questioned innocently, looking up from the back of the book. "What about me? What did I do wrong?"

"You made me sound like an idiot," Rose hissed. "You were just sitting there, rubbing your knee against mine and I couldn't think straight. 'Oh, you know. Whatever,'" she quoted.

"You think that's bad? She called me Mackenzie on live TV. Anything you said after that makes you look like the genius I know you are."

"There's nothing wrong with Mackenzie," Rose mumbled. "It's actually kind of cute." She blushed slightly as she said this.

Mack shook his head and then sat down on the edge of Rose's bed. "You didn't have to grow up with it. Do you have any idea what it's like to have your mom drop you off at kindergarten saying 'Play nice with the other kids, Mackenzie!' It's not fun."

"But still…Mack…I feel like an idiot when I'm around you," the pink ranger confessed. Her face was bright red now. "And you just…I don't know anymore." She groaned again.

"Come on Rose. At least you managed to say something. Dax couldn't even remember what his name was." He grinned and Rose shot him a tiny smile in return.


	43. What If

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: For the love of our dearly departed Zordon, NO!!!!!

Challenge: What If…

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick into Overdrive

Summary: What if she left him?

She replayed the conversation over and over again in her mind, blocking everything else around her out. Professor Ryan at the university in London had called only an hour ago, and she was still unable to believe it: the university wanted her to take his place when he retired in two weeks. What on earth was she going to do?

It was an amazing offer, her dream job. How could she turn down her dream job, especially when the university had offered it to her, a teenager? She was eighteen and a prestigious college wanted _her_ to teach there. She'd be stupid to turn the offer down.

On the other hand, the team needed her to help save the world. They needed her to help crack the codes and they needed her to lean on, just like she needed to lean on them.

They were true friends, Rose knew. When she told them of her offer, not a single one of them told her not to take the job. "Do what you need to do," encouraged Ronny.

And now she was sitting outside with her boyfriend, watching the stars come out one by one. Like a good, supportive boyfriend, Mack was remaining perfectly silent in an attempt to let Rose mull over her thoughts. "What do I do, Mack? Should I take the job?"

"It's a great opportunity."

"But the world…my duty…and you, you are so important to me, Mack…"

"We do need that brain of yours, and you're so special to me, too."

"Pick a side, would you?" Rose snapped, mock glaring at him. "I'd like your input, you know."

Mack held her close. "You know I want to you stay here with me, Rose. You know I do. But I don't want you to make a decision that could change your life based on me. It has to be _your_ decision."

"If I stay?"

"Then nothing changes."

"And what if I take the job, Mack? What happens to us?"

"Rose, I'm not going anywhere as long as you still want me to be around. So if you take the job, my dad finds another person to be pink ranger, not that anyone could take your place, and we have a long distance relationship until the crown is safe again."

Rose felt herself fall for him all over again. But then a terrible thought struck her. "What if I do take the job and then I come back and you don't want me anymore?"

"I'd always want you."

She kissed him softly. "Thank you, Mack. For everything." He nodded and then stood both of them upright.

"Come on. Bed time." The red and pink rangers made their way across the grounds once more, climbing up to the third story once inside. Outside of Mack's door, he grabbed both of her hands and kissed her again. "Good night, Rose. Whatever decision you make I know it'll be the right one."

"Again, thanks." She hesitated for a moment, and then looked at him again. She needed to be close to him tonight. "Can I stay here?"

"Always."

--

"Rose? Who were you talking to?" Mack asked groggily the next morning.

"Shh, Mack. It's still early. Go back to sleep." The pink ranger lay down beside him once more, content just to be wrapped in his arms.

"Are you leaving me for London?"

"No."

And that was all she needed to say.


	44. Guilt

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: For the love of our dearly departed Zordon, NO!!!!!

Challenge: Guilt

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick into Overdrive. Sequel to Scars.

Summary: She still felt incredibly guilty.

It happened every single night, ever since that particular battle with Moltor. Rose came into his room, finding some excuse to be there, settled herself on his bed, ad proceeded to talk about with him about everything under the sun. He didn't mind this- a beautiful girl sitting on hid bed every night? He was a teenage guy after all- but he did know the reason for Rose's nightly visits- she felt incredibly guilty about what Moltor's sword had done to him. Mack had long since given up trying to convince his pink ranger that the accident hadn't been her fault.

He'd seen how if affected her when the Overdrive rangers were out fighting, especially when it was Moltor. She seemed determined not to let him get hurt again, especially if the blow had been intended for her. It was scary for him to watch her practically throw herself in his path, trying to keep him safe. He always wanted to mention this to her, but he knew the stubborn pink ranger wouldn't listen to a word he said about maybe toning it down a notch. She'd insist that she was just fine and not to worry about her.

And then sometimes she would catch him without a shirt on and she'd see the barely visible scar and her eyes would fill with tears. "Oh Mack," she always whispered, barely audible at all. "Oh Mack." He still tried to tell her that it wasn't as bad as it looked that in their line of work it was inevitable they'd all end up with a few bumps and bruises.

She never looked quite convinced, but she always dropped the subject and continued on with whatever it was she wanted to talk about. Most times she stayed until her eyelids were drooping.

And then, always, every single night, came her hug. She wrapped her arms around him as tightly as she possibly could, resting her head against his chest. He always held her back, trying to convey that as long as she was in the shelter of his arms that nothing could ever hurt her. She always pulled away first to plant a kiss on his cheek. She would whisper good night to her hero, her knight in shining red armor, and then Rose would be gone, guilt still in her eyes.


	45. Denial

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: Yes! They're all mine…not.

Challenge: Denial

Timeframe: Between Kick into Overdrive and Face to Face. I'd like to dedicate this challenge to Kiana, whose constant babbling about Retsu inspired me for this little ficlet.

Summary: He knows she's just denying that she does, in fact, have a heart.

"So what exactly do you propose we do, Mr. Hartford, while you figure out how to reverse the effects? If we tried to defeat Flurious' goon by ourselves there's no way we could manage it," pointed out the ever-logical Rose. The pink ranger was looking from her mentor to the three sleeping bundles that had been Dax, Will, and Ronny up until an hour ago.

"Well, Rose, you and Mack are going to baby-sit. What else did you think you were going to do?" asked Mr. Hartford. "They're your teammates, after all. If you had been turned into a baby they'd certainly look after you."

"But…but…" Rose spluttered. "I don't know anything about children. I don't even _like_ children."

"Aw, come on Rose, it'll be fun," piped up Mack. "After this we'll have _gold_ to taunt them with. Pure gold."

"If you think it's so fun then you do it," snapped Rose irritably. "I do have other stuff to do, you know." The pink ranger's brown eyes were narrowed at her red counterpart.

"You will both do it, and that is the end of the discussion," said Andrew. "Now go. And let this be a lesson in responsibility for both of you." The elder Hartford pointed towards the three bundles on the table, and Rose and Mack picked up their sleeping teammates.

"I've always liked kids," Mack said brightly, stepping into the lounge. He looked over at Rose, who was sitting on the couch with baby Ronny in her arms. "I bet you do too. I bet you just think you come off all cold and uncaring. I know your type, Rose Ortiz. You're nothing but a big softie under all that black you wear."

"Shut up," growled Rose. "Can we just get through what's sure to be a horrible ordeal so I can move on with my life?" The red ranger chuckled at his pink ranger's outburst, smiling that damningly charming smile of his.

"If you insist, Mary Poppins," he teased. Rose looked up from the sleeping baby, glaring furiously. Mack kept smiling at her. "You just keep denying to yourself that you want kids. Fine by me. But you should know that I know that's all you're doing: deny, deny, deny." He settled in one corner of the couch, nestling Dax and Will between the cushions.

And then the red ranger gazed at his pink counterpart fondly, thinking about how…_right_ she looked with a baby in her arms. What she told herself didn't matter. He could see her motherly instincts coming out watching her rock Ronny gently as the yellow baby fussed slightly. It wasn't until Rose asked what he was so happy about did he realize he was grinning like an idiot.

**A/N: Bit of a stretch for Denial, maybe…but oh well.**


	46. Home

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: Yes! They're all mine…not.

Challenge: Home

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick into Overdrive.

Summary: She felt at home in his arms.

He had surprised her with a trip to the beach, just for the two of them, to walk under the stars. He was a true romantic, Rose thought happily, and she loved the stars besides. The fact that Mack remembered this made her love him all the more.

He was completely silent, and so was she. It was such a nice silence that Rose hated to break it with the question that she knew she had to ask him eventually. She glanced down at their entwined fingers, remembering how Mack had always supported her and how she tried to do the same for him. "Mack," her voice came softly, "What are we going to do when this is all over?"

"I've never thought about it, not really. Why do you ask, Rose?"

"My parents want me to go back to London and finish school."

His face noticeably brightened under the moon and starlight. "You and me in London? They wouldn't know what hit them. We'd paint the town red."

"Pink," insisted Rose. "And I'm sorry to say, Mack, but I think you're the reason they want me to go back in the first place." Here she bit her bottom lip, looking at him carefully to gauge his reaction to this bombshell. "I mean, they liked you, but they don't like that we're so serious, that we say, 'I love you,' and they don't like that you don't go to school. I'm sorry for it to come up now when you obviously thought up this little romantic night and everything…" Rose's voice trailed off.

"I see," Mack replied. "And now I have two questions for you, Rose. Do you love me?"

"Of course I love you, Mack, you know I do. But whether I love you or not isn't the question here."

"Oh but it is, Rose. It is. And you say you love me, which I don't doubt for one second. So my next question is this: do you still want to be with me, despite what your parents say?"

"Yes, Mack, I love you and I want to be with you and…where exactly is this going?"

"Rose listen to me. If you love me and you want to be together, than why does anything else matter? I get that they're your parents and you want them to be proud of you, but why would you let them stand in our way?"

Rose yanked her hand away from his and then threw herself into his arms with such force that they were both knocked to the ground. "Do you know what you are, Mack Hartford?"

"Very turned on by my insanely beautiful girlfriend lying on top of me on the beach with no one else around for miles?"

Rose took his face in her hands, kissing him softly. "No," she said one she'd pulled away. "You are perfect."

"I'm far from perfect, Rosie."

She just shook her head, closing her eyes, feeling at home in his arms.


	47. Lost

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: I'll just pretend you didn't ask that.

Challenge: Lost

Timeframe: Somewhere after Face to Face. Has nothing to do with the episode, but there are references.

Summary: If being lost was this good, he didn't want to be found.

Mack examined the copy of the map. "Yep," he announced cheerfully a moment later, "We are definitely lost, Rose. Definitely lost. We missed a turn somewhere." The red ranger folded his map up again and put it back in his pocket.

"Well why don't we go retrace our steps? We can't just sit around all night, Mack. There has to be some way to find the right path."

Mack shook his head. "It's almost dark. I am not about to let you go wandering around the jungle at night. There's no way it's going to happen." Rose heaved a sigh and plopped down onto the ground. He joined her a moment later.

"How are we supposed to, oh, I don't know, live?" asked Rose after thinking for a moment. "We don't have any supplies. They're all on the SHARC." To her annoyance, Mack merely chuckled.

"It's not like we're stuck here forever. The others will realize we're missing and head back to base and find us. We stay put until they come. Trust me, Rose, I know the drill. I've been lost before, remember?"

"Oh yeah, when I thought I was never going to see you again," Rose shot back. "I was worried about you then, Mack. I really was."

"You worry about me?" he asked softly. Rose nodded and Mack smiled slightly to himself. "Rose, listen. I know you're freaked out here but it'll be a lot easier if you just work with me. It could be a couple of days before they get home, locate us and then get all the way out here again, and it'll be smoother if you just stop overanalyzing."

"All right. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he replied. "We should try to start a fire. Basic survival step number one."

"We're in a rainforest Mack. Doesn't that imply that any wood we would find would be _wet_?"

"Who said anything about wood?"

Rose heaved an enormous sigh. "If, by some miracle or other, you carry flint around with you or something, then knock yourself out with that fire, Mack. I think I'll just try to figure a way out of this mess."

"To each her own," Mack said gallantly. He proceeded to successfully light a fire with a little bunch of twigs and a lighter. "I win."

Rose just shook her head. "So, any idea of how we're supposed to eat, O Great Survival Expert?"

"I have a pack of cookies in my pocket," Mack said, as if it were obvious he went everywhere with sugary snacks. "It's not much, granted, but it's better than starving."

Rose cracked a tiny smile. "For once I think you might be onto something, Mack." The pink ranger scooted a little closer to him and the fire, admiring his handiwork. "I really am sorry about snapping at you, Mack. Like you said, I overanalyze everything. It's probably why I don't have a lot of friends. Everyone thinks I'm going to bite their heads off."

Mack offered her a miniature chocolate chip cookie. "I never really had friends growing up, either. My dad put me in public school, you see, so none of the other kids had limos or mansions. I looked like a snob, I guess. That's why I read so much."

"We're more alike than I thought," Rose said. "I'll be nice, I promise. After all, we have to get along if we're going to live to tell the tale." Mack nodded and took a bite of his own cookie.

"If you give me your jacket I can make up a tent. It does rain here."

Rose popped the last bit of her cookie into her mouth and removed her uniform jacket. She tried not to stare at the black T-shirt hugging itself to Mack's body as he set about constructing a tent with the red and pink trimmed jackets.

"There," he said proudly. "It's nothing spectacular, but it'll do."

"Only the fire's going to go out when it starts raining."

Mack shrugged. "We'll deal with that later." Suddenly he yawned loudly, stretching his arms over his head. "Would you mind taking first watch? I'm so tired." Rose agreed, and watched with a faint smile as he lay down under their little tent and closed his eyes.

She woke him up three hours later. "Mack, the rain put out the fire and I'm all wet and it's freezing…"

"Come here," he murmured sleepily, holding out his arms. Rose burrowed into them eagerly, grateful for his warmth. "Better?" Rose nodded, her eyelids drooping. She shut them and fell asleep almost instantly. "If being lost is this good," he whispered, "I don't want to be found."

He could have sworn he saw Rose smile in her sleep.


	48. Yield

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: I'll just pretend you didn't ask that.

Challenge: Yield

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick Into Overdrive

Summary: "You really want me to let myself go?"

"Hi Rose," Mack greeted in a sing song voice as he entered the zord bay. "Watcha doin?" he could almost feel her tense up as he came closer. She looked stressed enough as it was. What a perfect opportunity to tease her into having a little bit of fun with him.

"I'm doing some zords repairs and seeing if any improvements can be made. Whatever it is you think you need to do can wait, or you can find someone else to entertain you." She turned back to the control panel. Rose saw him shake his head from the corner of her eye, and then that huge charming grin crossed Mack's handsome face. He came closer still, placing his hands on her shoulders. She instantly stiffened.

"Oh Rose," he murmured into her dark hair. "Oh my sweet, hardworking, needs-to-relax Rosie." Rose's heart skipped several beats at Mack's declaration of her being his. She took a deep breath and started to move away, but Mack would have no part of that, none at all. He pulled her closer still, hands on her shoulders, massaging them.

"Mack, what in the hell are you doing?" Rose demanded shrilly.

"Helping."

"This is not helping. Helping would be looking at the zords or leaving me alone so I can do it."

"You're boring, Rose." Mack continued on rubbing her shoulders firmly. "You need to stop working and just kick back every now and then."

"Maybe that would be easier if you just go so I can get my work done."

Mack snorted. "You know you won't relax." He pressed his cheek to her hair. "When was the last time you did something spontaneous? The last time you just let yourself yield to the miniscule fun side you have and let yourself go?" Beneath his hands Rose's shoulders slumped.

"You're not going to let this go, are you Mack?" Rose asked as she turned in his hold. Her tone was meant to sound annoyed with her red ranger, but there was an underlying sadness in her voice. Mack shook his head, grinning proudly. "You really want me to let myself go?"

"Yes I do."

"OK." She looked up at him with big brown eyes, trying to decide if he would mind what she was about to do. She came to the conclusion that he wouldn't. Rose took a deep breath to steady herself, and then stood on her tiptoes and planted a soft, chaste kiss on his mouth. It was over as soon as it had started.

"How's that for letting myself go?"


	49. Perception

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: We have issues with this don't we?

Challenge: Perception

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick into Overdrive. Sequel to Yield

Summary: She doesn't know what to say, but she knows what to do.

He was quite shocked that Rose had done such a thing, an innocent little kiss as it had been. He gaped at her for a moment, trying to decide exactly what to say. "Um…wow. That was different."

"Just different? Not great, wonderful, amazing?" Rose teased in a light tone Mack had never heard her use before. She was _messing_ with him, and he wasn't sure he minded. When he didn't reply Rose just smiled. "You see what you do to me, Mack? You come along and distract me and tell me to relax. And then when I do 'relax' you don't even talk! Make up your mind already."

"You only kissed me because you wanted me to be quite, didn't you?"

Rose had the decency to blush. "Well, maybe…" she looked up at him with big brown eyes, "And maybe I have a bit of a crush on you." There, she'd said it. Maybe there was something to be said for letting go of your composure.

"Really now," he smiled, "What would you say if I told you the same?"

"I don't know what I would say, but I think I would do this." And she threw herself into Mack's arms again and kissed him, this time anything but polite. Life was, Rose thought happily, just a matter of perception after all, and she decided this was the proper way to see things.


	50. Truth

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: We have issues with this don't we?

Challenge: Truth

Timeframe: Somewhere after At All Costs

Summary: "You're all he talks about. He's just shy about it."

It was driving her insane. Ever since Ronny had learned her lesson about winning and losing, she was always hanging around, steadily pulling Mack farther and farther away from Rose. And he always seemed happy to go…

Rose hated being jealous, but since she didn't know for sure Ronny and Mack had something going on, she came to the conclusion that she was just going to have to ask what the relationship was.

She pounced after yet another game of Mack and Ronny's foosball obsession. Rose waited until Mack had gone off, victorious once more to ask. "Ronny, tell me what's going on with you and Mack," the pink ranger commanded. "And I will know if you're lying. I need to know the truth."

The yellow ranger smirked. "You like him, don't you, Rose?" She chuckled softly at the thought of an envious Rose. "Mack's not my type at all, Rose. We're just pals who play foosball. No big deal, none at all."

Rose didn't look convinced at all. "Oh really? Are you sure, Ronny? Nothing's going on at all?"

Ronny laughed again. "You're delusional, Rose. If you haven't noticed, Mack totally likes you. You're all he talks about. He's just shy about it."

Rose was frowning now, "Mack isn't shy in the least, Ronny." She couldn't picture Mack and Ronny having a heart to heart about _her._ It wouldn't make sense. The yellow ranger was still smiling.

"He doesn't think you'd ever like him like that, and so he's shy about it. Trust me, Rose, he's head over heels for you. It's the truth."

Rose smiled slightly, "Promise? If I hinted at it he wouldn't think I'd lost my sanity?"

"He'd be flattered," Ronny assured her. "And as your friend I'm ordering you to go and 'hint' at him."

Rose had never appreciated the truth more.


	51. Wish

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: I have nothing.

Challenge: Wish

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick into Overdrive

Summary: "Make a wish, Rose."

Rose frowned at the envelope in her hands. Of course her family had remembered that her birthday was today, but they hadn't bothered to remember that Rose hated her birthday. Birthdays were frivolous and pointless. She didn't see any reason to celebrate turning a year older, especially if the other rangers found out. Mack's birthday had passed a few weeks ago, and Rose had seen how all out the team could get. She didn't want to deal with that again.

Well then. She'd just have to hide the birthday card where no one would ever find it. The pond came to mind…

Rose was still pondering this when her red ranger walked in. "Hey Rose," he greeted eagerly. Rose smiled slightly. Mack was always so happy, especially when he was around her. She'd noticed. "What's that?" he asked, pointing to the pale pink envelope clamped in Rose's hands.

The smile vanished and Rose sighed. "It's a birthday card from my parents, Mack." He noticeably brightened.

"It's your birthday Rose? Why didn't you tell us? We would have had a party." Mack was looking at her with wide blue eyes.

"It's not important," Rose mumbled. Mack snorted.

"Of course it is. It's your birthday, Rose. The one day of the year where everyone has to cater to you. And I am going to do something very special for you."

Rose laughed, "And what, pray tell, is that?"

Mack was positively beaming. "You'll find out soon enough, Birthday Girl." He sprang up from the couch and exited again, leaving a curious Rose behind him.

--

Rose went into her room after a long training session, exhausted but feeling great after her workout. And there, sitting on her desk, was a small round cake with chocolate frosting and pink sprinkles. Pink icing letters spelled out 'Happy Birthday Rosie.'

It looked like she had discovered Mack's little surprise. "Hi," greeted the red ranger from behind her, "I told you you'd like it." He came into her room, a pink candle in one hand. "It's Spencer's recipe, but I made it by myself."

She turned to look at him, "Oh Mack. Thank you. That was really, really nice of you. A little unnecessary, maybe, but sweet."

He smiled a childish smile. "And now it's time for you to blow out the candles and make a wish." Mack stood at her side and stuck the candle into the frosting. He then proceeded to light said candle with a small red plastic lighter. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…" he sang. Rose blushed furiously.

"OK, OK," Rose agreed, mainly to shut him up. She leaned towards the cake, holding her hair back, and blew out the small flame. _'I wish…I wish…I wish that when all this is over I'll still have Mack as my best friend…and maybe something more.'_


	52. History

**O****f Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: I have nothing.

Challenge: History

Timeframe: Post It's Hammer Time

Summary: "It never hurts to brush up on your history, Mack."

Rose settled in to her shift at the command center, a large book about Norse Mythology balanced on the table before her. Being a ranger was exciting, but the appearance of Thor and Loki, real live gods, was simply too much; the epitome of awesome…for her anyway.

"You are such a geek, Rose," Mack teased as he came down the stairs from the main house. "I'm sure there's nothing in your book that you don't already know." He cracked a grin at the pink ranger.

Rose smiled back at him. "It never hurts to brush up on your history, Mack. And since we just met two gods, why not? Who knows what other figures and creatures will show up along the way to the jewels?"

"Good point," he replied as he crossed the brightly lit room to sit beside her. "Except it's mythology, not real history. Just tales to tell kids before bedtime, right?"

"Look what happened with Moltor and Flurious," retorted Rose. "Most myths are based in facts."

"You and your legends," Mack said, still teasing.

"Don't you have a video game to play or a graphic novel to read or something? I'd really like to finish this tonight, you know." Rose didn't mind the red ranger's companionship most times, but right now he seemed to want nothing more than to annoy her to no end.

"You're way better company," Mack answered softly. "I'll be quiet if you really want me to be but I'm not leaving."

"Oh Mack," Rose sighed exasperatedly. "All right. But really, I mean it. Quiet."

He made a zipping motion and pretended to throw away the key. Rose smiled again and turned back to the book, very aware of the red ranger's eyes on her.


	53. The Call

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: No…sheesh...

Challenge: The Call

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick into Overdrive

Summary: "Not your call to make."

Mack came into the command center supporting a limping Rose. He eased her down into a chair gently. "Don't move," Mack ordered. "You're hurt, Rose. I think your ankle's broken."

Rose shook her head. "Don't be silly Mack. I'm fine. It hurts but it's not broken. I'll be good as new in a day or two, I promise. Besides, the rest of the team's off in China chasing clues. You need me."

"I'm not denying that Rose," Mack said softly. "But for now I can handle anything that comes up. You need to stay here and rest."

"God Mack, I'm not a child-" Rose protested.

"Both of you, shut up," interjected Andrew. "The two of you sound like an old married couple. Let me take a look at your ankle, Rose." The pink ranger held out the offending ankle, still glaring up at Mack. "Does this hurt?"

Rose winced in pain. "You see, Dad? She's hurt," Mack said. He put a hand on Rose's shoulder.

Rose ignored his hand. "Is it broken?" she asked Andrew. She moved her brown eyes from the younger Hartford to the older one in front of her.

"It's sprained, not broken. Try not to put weight on it." He turned back to the monitor. "Help her upstairs, Mack."

Mack did as he was told, scooping her up into his arms bridal style. "Don't put weight on it," he told her again with a triumphant, silly grin on his face, knowing that smiling would only serve to make her more furious with him.

"Put me down, Mack," hissed Rose.

"Certainly," Mack replied, reaching the door to her room and entering. He put her down on her pink bed gently. "I'll keep you company," he added, pulling out her desk chair.

The Tracker beeped. "Trouble in the city," came Andrew's voice. "Get going."

Rose started to get up. "Not you," Mack said firmly. "Elevate your ankle and stay here." He leaned over and planted a very soft kiss on her cheek. "I'll be back soon."

She touched her cheek absentmindedly as Mack sprinted out of the room. "Oh well," she sighed. Rose picked up her book, trying not to think about Mack.

But nearly an hour later Mack still hadn't returned. Rose hobbled down to the base where Andrew Hartford was watching the battle. Mack was, Rose saw, surrounded by lava lizards, Chillers, and one of Moltor's goons. He appeared to be injured but fought on anyway.

"I'm going to him," Rose announced. "I don't care what you say, Mr. Hartford. He needs me."

"Your call, Rose."

"Overdrive Accelerate!"

She rushed to his side upon arrival. "Why didn't you call for help, Mack?"

"Because you're not supposed to be here, Rose," Mack protested with a wheeze in his voice. "You're hurt."

"So are you," she retorted. "It's not your call to make, Mack. I'm not going to sit around and let you get killed."

Mack did not argue.


	54. Simplicity

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: No…sheesh...

Challenge: Simplicity

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick into Overdrive

Summary: She didn't expect anything from him.

She didn't expect anything from him, and for that he loved her. With her nothing was complicated- other than her long winded explanations.

But still, the simplicity was there. She just wanted him to be Mack, her Mack, her smart, sweet, caring, brave Mack. She just wanted to go to the bookstore and drink coffee and debate spiritedly about whatever fiction work they'd both recently read.

Everyone else needed something from him. The press wanted him to answer thousands of questions about being a ranger. His father counted on him to lead the team to victory. The _world_ expected him to save it.

She never asked for anything like that. She just needed him to be her friend, and in exchange she was the best friend she could be to him. He appreciated it far more than Rose knew.


	55. Take My Hand

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: Things would be different…oh how they would…

Challenge: Take My Hand

Timeframe: During Out of Luck

Summary: She pulled him to his feet.

Mack missed one of the stairs in the large flight, causing him to lose his balance and came toppling down to the entryway, landing in a crumpled heap on the marble floor. "Ow," he muttered, wincing.

Rose, who had been passing, smiled sympathetically. "Oh Mack, are you all right?" she asked softly, stretching her hand towards him and pulling him to his feet. The red ranger, for someone who didn't believe in luck, sure was having a lot of unfortunate accidents.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, flashing his silly grin at her. She didn't look convinced. "Honest, Rose, all these accidents are just coincidence. People don't have good or bad luck. It's just silly superstition. I'm surprised you of all people believe in it."

Rose shrugged. "I think what you need is some fresh air, Mack. Take a walk with me?" She motioned towards the door some feet behind her. He smiled again.

"Sure." The red and pink rangers had started towards the door when Mack tripped again. "Oof," he mumbled dejectedly. "I give up."

"Come on now, Mack, you can't give up on me after everything we've been through." Rose helped him up again, this time not letting go of his hand, pulling him outside with her.


	56. Another Step

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: Things would be different…oh how they would…

Challenge: Another Step

Timeframe: Somewhere after Kick into Overdrive

Summary: "Ballroom dancing lessons?"

"Oh come on, Dad, that is so unfair! Ballroom dancing lessons? What am I, forty?" Mack Hartford protested to his father.

"In the crowd with which our family runs, ballroom dancing is, unfortunately, a skill you need. All those dinners and benefits practically require it. I'm sorry, but I'm sticking to what I said. You will meet your teacher in the library at three this afternoon and that's final."

"I have plans with Rose this afternoon, Dad. I'm not going to cancel on her."

"Something tells me she'll understand," Andrew replied, and by his tone Mack knew there was no way he was going to get out of it.

"Fine, fine, just take away my social life," grumbled the red ranger.

And when he walked into the library that afternoon, he understood what his father had meant when he said Rose would understand. The pink ranger was waiting for him, a boom box at her feet. "Rose? You're my teacher?" Mack asked incredulously.

"Oh very good, Mack," Rose said sarcastically. "Your father roped me into it. Now, today we'll start with a basic waltz, very simple. The waltz is comprised of a simple box step and turn. Watch."

Rose proceeded to demonstrate the box step. "Do exactly as I did," she instructed once she'd done it three times. Mack mimicked her steps perfectly. "Good," Rose praised. "Two more times and we'll try it together."

Mack did as he was told. "And now we can be humiliated together," he said brightly as Rose hit the play button and a sleepy waltz tune began to sound throughout the room.

"Shh," Rose murmured, taking Mack's hand. "Now, lead me. Exactly as I showed you. Wonderful," she said as Mack executed the box step and turn sequence. And then the arm wrapped around her waist dipped her back a few inches, his face hovering above hers.

"I think I'm going to like these lessons," he whispered. Rose straightened up.

"Um," she breathed, her face red. "I have another step to show you." She thought for a moment, clearly flustered. Mack merely grinned.


	57. Chance

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: You most be incredibly dense to not get this.

Challenge: Chance

Timeframe: During One Gets Away

Summary: "Am I interrupting something?"

After Dax, Will and Ronny went diving to locate the third jewel, Mack plopped himself down onto the sand. He yawned loudly, stretching his arms over his head. Rose joined him as Tyzonn went on a stroll along the sand. Mack decided this was prime teasing time.

"So, were you actually _trying_ to drown us, Rose, or was it unintentional?" he asked conversationally. "Because you were nearly there, you know." The pink ranger blushed furiously.

"Shut up, Mack. I was never trying to drown anyone and you know it." Mack merely smiled hugely at her. He winked.

"Oh sure, that's what you want me to think, isn't it, Rose? I think you're gonna have to be a little more convincing when they put you on trial." Rose couldn't help but smile back at him. She promptly pushed him over.

Mack thought quickly and grabbed her hand, causing her to fall on top of him at such a precise angle that her lips brushed his very slightly.

Rose pulled away swiftly. "Um," she breathed. "I-I think while we're on missions we should be professional, Mack. It's best if we focus on the work we have to do."

"Fair enough," Mack agreed. "When we get home we'll talk." He winked up at her again. Rose smiled shyly and got off of him, looking out at the ocean again. "I never thought I'd be thankful for the knowledge of geometry," Mack mused.

"Shut up, Mack," Rose repeated. "They've been gone a long time. What's the chance they can't find the jewel?"

"About the same as you letting me kiss you again, Rose." Mack found one of her hands and squeezed gently. "I didn't get to properly the first time." Rose blushed again.

"A big chance then," Rose murmured, lying down next to him again. Mack grinned triumphantly. He wrapped his arms around her tightly. Rose scooted closer, resting her head on his chest. He was just leaning towards her when Tyzonn reappeared and spoke.

"Am I interrupting something?"


	58. Match

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: You most be incredibly dense to not get this.

Challenge: Match

Timeframe: Somewhere after Man of Mercury (Tyzonn is in it or it wouldn't matter)

Summary: "They'd be a perfect match, if they ever stopped arguing about books."

Ronny Robinson watched her fellow rangers Mack and Rose with a huge smile on her face. She chuckled lightly as the red and pink rangers continued to debate about some novel they'd both recently read.

"No, Mack, you're missing the point. He was completely guilty of murder. He wasn't framed at all. Get over it," Rose was saying.

"Conspiracy," Mack insisted. "His jealous ex-girlfriend framed him. I'm sure of it."

"Guess what, Mack? You didn't write the book. You don't get to say what happens," Rose shot back heatedly.

By now the other three rangers had joined Ronny and were staring at Mack and Rose. "Why are we doing this again?" Tyzonn asked, confused.

Ronny was still grinning. "Because Rose and Mack would be so perfect for each other that it's hilarious. They'd be a perfect match, if they ever stopped arguing about books." She turned back to the red and pink rangers. "Any second now they're gonna start making out. Ten bucks says it."

"You're on. Rose would never let him," said Will.

And then, as if on cue, Mack seized the pink ranger and kissed her. Rose froze for a second and then raised her hand. "Ha," said Will, sure she was going to slap Mack.

But all Rose's hand did was push Mack flat on his back, allowing her to lie on top of him, the frustration from their argument melting away.

"Pay up Will," cooed Ronny. "Let's leave these lovebirds to make their nest a little larger."


	59. Triumph

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: See all other 58 challenges.

Challenge: Triumph

Timeframe: Between Out of Luck and One Gets Away

Summary: He was always so happy when she shared her triumph with him.

She was not a shy person, she never had been. When there was news to tell she had no problem announcing it to the world. And when Rose discovered a new piece to the puzzle, the first person she found was always the one she shared her triumphant smile with. He was always so happy when it was him.

This happened one day as he sat in his room with a book. He was immersed in it, and therefore quite surprised when Rose practically skipped into his room and pounced onto his bed. "Come _on_ Mack. Come on, I have something to show you!"

Although Mack was reluctant to look away from his book, he knew Rose was going to be smiling ecstatically. Sure enough, he was right. "What's up?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant. "Where's the fire?" Rose simply seized his hand.

Once she had pulled him down to the base, Rose tugged him over to one of the monitors. "I think I've located the third jewel."

"That's awesome," Mack declared as Rose turned around to beam at him. She looked so happy. Mack, content to see her triumphant, promptly picked her up and spun her around, causing her to laugh. He'd never seen her this way.

"It is, isn't it?" Rose replied, looking back at the blinking red dot on the monitor. "As soon as the others get back from town we can get going." She gave a funny sort of hop, grinning at the screen.

And it was funny, but just seeing her so happy was enough to make him feel on top of the world.


	60. Change

**Of Anime, Poetry and Falling in Love: Mack and Rose**

Disclaimer: See all other 59 challenges.

Challenge: Change

Timeframe: Post Series

Summary: Having one changes everything.

He was sitting in the new pink nursery, rocking the small bundle in his arms to sleep. "That's a good girl. My sweet, beautiful little Jamie. You look just like Mommy, you know. Yes you do. And you're gonna be a genius, just like her and Daddy's going to feel very out of place but that's all right. He doesn't mind." Mack planted a tiny peck on Jamie's forehead, causing her to open her eyes.

They were _his _eyes, which he was very pleased with. That seemed to be the only thing he had contributed to her so far. "Come on sweetie. Close those little blue eyes again. If Mommy sees that you're still awake we're both going to be in trouble," Mack whispered conspiratorially. He lifted one hand to his daughter's tiny round face, seeing if maybe he could close her eyes for her.

It didn't work, but not because of lack of trying. No, Jamie lifted a tiny hand of her own, wrapping her whole hand around Mack's index finger. He smiled down at her. "You really are a little genius. You're not supposed to be able to do that yet."

"Mack, you are aware that I can _hear _you talking to the baby, right? Because I can and I really don't appreciate you babbling. Let her get some sleep. She's been passed from visitor to visitor all day. Jamie's tired," Rose called from down the hall.

"Rose, look! Come here and look what she does already!" Mack yelled back. He heard Rose heave a sigh and pad down the hall to Jamie's room. "See? She can grab fingers already."

Rose took the baby from Mack and tried the same little experiment. Sure enough, Jamie latched onto Rose's finger as well. "You're a smart little girl, Jamie," Rose praised. "I'll get Daddy out of your hair now." She laid the baby in the white crib, checking that Jamie was comfortable. "Now come on," Rose said to Mack.

"She really has changed our lives, hasn't she, Rose? A year ago we would stay up late reading or just talking and now we stay up with the baby. It's so weird."

"Very. But she's worth it, Mack. We have everything we could possibly want…except a sleeping baby." Mack grinned.

"Come here Mommy," he said, holding out his arms. Rose did as she was told, snuggling against him without another word.


End file.
